A Sinn Féin TD has said his party cannot be held responsible for the level of gangland crime.
Peadar Toibin has said the level of gangland crime is a direct result of Government cuts to Gardaí, and not Sinn Fein's position on the Special Criminal Court.
The party's jobs spokesman has said he accepts the legality of the court, but his faith in its judgments is lowered by not having a jury.
And he has said his party is being unfairly targeted when gangland strength is the Government's fault: “The criminals that shed blood on our streets, a couple of weeks ago, exist in a space that has been surrendered to them by this Government’s divestment from the gardaí.
“That is where they exist and that is where they act, they can carry out their actions due to the fact that the gardaí are at such low numbers.”