Speaking at a garda reserve graduation in Templemore yesterday in his first official engagement as the new minister for justice, Lenihan said he wanted to give those affected by crime more protection. He said setting up a support agency would ensure that the victims of crime were given a voice and were heard in the criminal justice system.

Acknowledging that there was "some apprehension" initially about the benefits of the reserve, Lenihan said it was helping "to strengthen essential links between the force and local communities . . . in a time of a growing population with an increasingly rich intercultural dimension.

"Some are cynical about the selfishness and materialism of Irish society today and say that many are only concerned with getting a bigger house and a fancier car, " he told the new graduates, "but you are living proof that the people of Ireland care about their country and the communities in which they live."

The minister said he was looking forward to working with the force "in our endeavour to making Ireland a safer and fairer place."