The new Special Garda Crime Taskforce, controlled and co-ordinated by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau to combat gang-related crime, will be up and running by the end of the year, according to Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald.

She said a number of changes being made will make the work of the Criminal Assets Bureau more effective nationally and locally.

Speaking on RTÉ's Six One news Ms Fitzgerald said interviews are under way and training will start soon.

She also said more gardaí are being recruited than are leaving the force but said the process of recruitment does need to escalate.

Minister Fitzgerald said there will be 200 more recruits going to Templemore this year and, she said, 600 were trained last year and she wants 800 to go in this year.

Earlier Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan welcomed the new measures announced by Government, which she said would enable An Garda Síochána to strengthen its capability in tackling organised crime.

Commissioner O'Sullivan said it would adopt an intelligence-led and targeted approach in respect of individuals and groups engaged in organised crime.

Minister Fitzgerald, who presented the proposals on the measures to Cabinet today, said that changes in legislation will be required.

Ms Fitzgerald said it is proposed to strengthen the powers of seizure of CAB, to allow them to seize the assets of lesser value from criminals on the street.

"We have seen unprecedented gangland violence in the last few weeks. However long it takes, whatever resources are necessary, we will face down the activities of these ruthless gangs.

The proposed legislation would reduce the threshold of money that can be seized from criminals under the Criminal Justice Act from €13,000 to €5,000.

It is also proposed that the threshold for seizing cash suspected of being the proceeds of crime be lowered from €6,500 to €1,000.

The minister is also suggesting that officials from Revenue and the Department of Social Protection be seconded to help gardaí investigate more Social Welfare payments and tax more of the proceeds of crime.

The memo, which recieved Government approval earlier, also proposes more overtime for gardaí to deal with the activities of criminal gangs in Dublin before the new armed response unit becomes operational later this year.

Implementation of these proposals will require additional funding.

Speaking to RTÉ News earlier, Ms Fitzgerald said there would be a zero tolerance to drug dealing on the streets and she would make sure gardaí have all the resources they need.

Anna Quigley from the Inner-City Organisations Network has said while the group welcomes the resources announced by the Minister for Justice policing on its own is not the solution to tackling the illegal drugs trade.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said she had previously called for the creation of a "mini CAB" and while this is a welcome idea to discourage young people from getting involved in the drugs trade, other options and alternatives are required to provide them with economic opportunities.

She said while the creation of a task force is welcome, her organisation is very concerned that this would be just a crime or policing task force when, she said, it is crucial that it looks at the broader economic development of the north inner-city area of Dublin.

Ms Quigley said the idea of a zero policy towards drug dealing on the streets is also welcome, but she said this cannot be the only policy. She said if you eliminate that aspect, then you need to increase the services and supports to those addicted to drugs.

She said she knows it is an emergency situation and there is a need for emergency policing, but this is not enough on its own.

She said there is a sense that when the policing issue is addressed the other areas will be tackled but she said doing "one at a time won't work".

Ms Quigley said you cannot address the policing problem without providing support for drug addicts and increasing economic opportunities for people in the area all at the same time.