There were no flowers left at shops in Donnybrook, Dublin, yesterday afternoon.
All had been bought up to be placed with messages of sympathy outside the local Garda station in memory of the two officers killed in the line of duty early on Sunday.
The floral tributes were many, and so were written ones. All day people queued to sign a book of condolences at the station, where the mood among colleagues of the dead men, Garda Michael Padden (27) and Garda Anthony Tighe (53), was sombre.
Those who came to pay their respects included firemen, business people and ordinary men, women and children. Many expressed shock at the deaths of the gardaí as well as anger at how such a tragedy could have occurred.
Ms Brenda Doyle from Blackrock said she was appalled that "joyriders" could go around "taking out gardaí". She called for harsher penalties to deter car thieves. "Harsher sentences or even chain gangs should be put in place," she said.
"There were no flowers left in the neighbourhood. People feel so strongly they have been all bought up and placed outside," she added.
Local businessman Mr Dara Dunleavy said he had come to express his sympathy. "But my presence is equally a measure of how angry I am at the lawlessness that caused this tragedy.
"I hope it will turn the tide and gardaí will get more power to tackle people that are causing lawlessness. People are sick and tired of it," he said.
Another woman waiting to sign the book of condolences said she was the mother of a young garda. She didn't wish to be named but said Sunday morning's horrific crash had made her increasingly anxious for the safety of her son.
Hundreds had signed the book of condolences last night in memory of Garda Padden, a keen Gaelic footballer, who graduated from Templemore three years ago, and his colleague, Garda Tighe, who lived in Clondalkin with his wife Irene and four grown-up children. He had served 32 years in Donnybrook.