Mr. Martin Callinan:

It is an interesting question. I would not like to try to gag RTE because I would fail miserably. What we read and hear about reflects the reality of what is happening on the streets in our towns and cities. We could debate for a long time whether the fictional representation of what is going on is good or bad. I appeal to people who have information about organised crime - or gangland crime as it is referred to in the media - to come forward and help us. We do it on a regular basis when we go in front of television cameras. It is an inescapable fact of life that as we speak about this issue, there are people who could help us to put some of the principals we are discussing behind bars. It is really about going back to where we started in this discussion with people taking ownership of their communities. If we reach that point, we will have a far safer community.

The Senator also asked about resources. Obviously we would all love to have plenty of resources. As Garda Commissioner, I am very conscious of what my duties and responsibilities are. I must balance on the one hand providing an efficient and effective policing service to the country while at the same time working within reduced human and financial resources. That is a constant battle and a constant challenge for all of those appearing before the committee today. At this point I am satisfied that we are able to produce the type of service delivery that we espouse to provide. Next year we will produce a corporate strategy for the next three years. We will also provide a policing plan to service each of these areas for the next three years. I hope the strategy and the policing plan will clearly demonstrate our effort to ensure that we provide and maintain that type of service to the community. Policing will be different from what we would normally expect, but we will still provide that level of assurance. I am confident that will be done with the level of efficiency and effectiveness we have provided in the past - and hopefully we can improve on it.