The Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice have rejected a call from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to hold a summit of community leaders to address the roots of violence.
On Sunday Dr Martin described the recent spate of violent crime as close to a national emergency and called on the Government to devise a new strategy to deal with the issue, including a summit to devise a national consensus on addressing the roots of violence.
Yesterday Mr Ahern and Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said that while they agreed with the archbishop that we all have a role to play in tackling violence, a summit such as he suggested is not the way to move forward.
The Taoiseach said the Joint Policing Committees established in 2005 is the forum in place where gardaí and community representatives can discuss issues and he did not think "another forum" was necessary.
Mr Lenihan said he was not quite sure what the archbishop was proposing but he would have "no problem" meeting with him to discuss the issues.
He said Dr Martin's comments reflect a concern we all have, but to call a conference to respond to three killings which took place in very different circumstances may not be the best mechanism to achieve the types of partnership with communities which will be effective in tackling crime.
Mr Lenihan said he is briefed on a continuing basis by the Garda Commissioner and that the Garda Síochána is making good progress in its investigations into the three weekend murders.
He said he "fully agrees" with Dr Martin that we all have a role in tackling the problems of murder and violence we face as a community.
"This is the approach behind the Joint Policing Committees established by the Garda Síochána Act 2005. These committees are a partnership of the gardaí, the local authority, members of the Oireachtas and people from the community and voluntary sector."
Mr Lenihan said there are already 29 committees established as a pilot phase, including in Dublin and Limerick, and said committees will be established in every local authority area in the country. There will also be local policing forums in specific neighbourhoods in addition to the local drug taskforces already established in 14 areas, 12 of them in Dublin.
The Garda is devoting significant resources to combating organised crime, particularly through Operation Anvil, which is an intelligence-led initiative targeting active criminals and their associates.
"The Garda budget for 2007 is at an all-time high, at €1.44 billion. A big proportion of this budget is being spent on frontline policing and on overtime."
The Minister appealed to anyone who has information that could help gardaí solve crimes to provide it and said no one should underestimate the difficulties facing the Garda in trying to protect people who offer them absolutely no co-operation.