The president of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has described the Minister for Justice's failure to provide firearms training facilities for gardai during the last year "disgraceful".
Speaking at the AGSI annual conference in Wexford this evening, Mr Paschal Feeney said the non-existence of firearms training facilities for the garda organisation, particularly at a time when gun crime is on the increase, placed both gardai and members of the public at risk.
"I think we must be unique among police forces everywhere in the civilised world in that we have no dedicated firearms training facilities," he said.
"Our members are not getting the firearms training that they need at this time and they are not being trained to best international practice. (Garda) members, and members of the public, will inevitably be placed at risk if this situation continues,"he said.
Following the closure in December 2005 of the indoor firearms range at Garda headquarters for health and safety reasons, the Garda Síochána has been forced to borrow what Mr Feeney called "in some cases third-rate facilities" from the Defence Forces which can, and are, withdrawn at a moment's notice, he said.
Mr Feeney said the Tanaiste had been made aware of the situation by the Garda Síochána since January this year, but the situation was now worse as the number of Defence Forces ranges available to the gardaí had been reduced.
"There are now no facilities whatever for long-range firearms training," he said.
Mr Feeney said Mr McDowell's plans for a "state-of-the-art" indoor firing range in the basement of the porposed new forensic science block at Garda headquarters would be anything but.
He said they would be restricted in size and complained there was no provision for ancillary classrooms or other relevant training facilities. The Garda Commissioner, he said, was now questioning the building of such a facility at Garda headquarters.
Addressing the delegates, the Minister for Justice McDowell said he wanted to thank the Agsi for its strong endorsement of the new Criminal Justice Bill
He said: " I am absolutely convinced that the criminal justice system must face up to the realities of crime in our society, particularly organised crime." Senior gardaí this evening called for the immediate installation of a system to block the use of mobile phones in prisons. The move came as delegates met the Minister for Justice at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors'annual conference in Wexford.
"I have heard a lot of half thought through, conservative, knee jerk reaction to the measures set out in the Criminal Justice Bill. While I welcome any constructive comments on the legislative package, and while I am willing to take them on board, I find it very strange that nearly every so-called expert opinion offered against the Bill seems to be based on a calculated deception of the Irish public in relation to the ?right to silence".
Agsi officers from Dublin told delegates that crime bosses are directing killings from behind bars through the use of smuggled mobile phones and urged colleagues to back their demands for a phone blocking system in prisons to combat the growing murder toll.
Delegates also heard calls for "proper legislation" to be enacted to deal with the criminal activity of people on temporary release from prison and for the creation of a civic forum to help find solutions to the increase of violence in Ireland.