Crime:Delegates backed a charter for crime victims unveiled by party spokesman on justice Jim O'Keeffe.
Outlining escalating crime figures, Mr O'Keeffe said what was most worrying was the level of detection, or lack thereof.
"Faced with a barrage of crime, the gardaí have quickly found themselves in a situation where they are unequipped and unable to deal with the flood of serious and violent crime."
The charter provides for victims being kept informed at all stages of the criminal justice process, and will allow the DPP to make a "plea in prosecution" in the same way that the defence can make a "plea for mitigation".
Criminals will be required to make ongoing contributions to a criminal compensation fund, and victims will be able, wherever possible, to avail of restorative justice measures.
Imelda Henry (Sligo-Leitrim) called for more effective training courses for gardaí. "Today's gardaí have to be part-lawyer, part-social worker, part-nurse, part-bouncer, part-administrator, part-psychiatrist and part-judge."
Michelle Mulhern (Mayo) said the current approach to dealing with young offenders was failing. "In my experience as a solicitor in the courts of Mayo, for the most part there is no criminal mind in operation among young offenders.
"Often there is no attempt made to cover up a criminal act. Many hold their hands up and plead guilty, again and again. Many request help to beat alcohol and drug addiction in prison, but for the most part there is very little professional help available."
Ann Marie Martin (Dublin South Central) said, despite considerable expenditure, the prison service was delivering nothing for society. "We get to pay for a vanity project for the Minister for Justice in Thornton Hall. We get a spiralling crime rate and a Government that seems entirely at a loss to deal with the issue."
Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan) said Fine Gael wanted to provide clear protection to people who found themselves confronting a criminal in the home.
John Bailey (Dún Laoghaire) said there was an epidemic of crime carried out by people out on bail. In 2005 there were almost 5,500 crimes committed by people released on bail. Twenty of them were homicides.
