Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of my questioning was to gauge Mr. Harris's opinion. The Minister for Justice and Equality said yesterday in the Dáil Chamber that the Garda was in receipt of unprecedented record funding. I was wondering if he was putting bells on that. I thought we would have no woes in any town or country if that was the case.

The Commissioner will be aware of the ongoing feud in Drogheda, which has been going on since July 2018. The latest attacks in recent days have again heightened the sense of fear for the community in Drogheda. There was another shooting last Thursday carried out in broad daylight in a densely populated area. Young children who were out playing were forced to run for cover. Within hours of that incident, two homes were petrol-bombed in retaliation. Last night another home was petrol-bombed. I acknowledge the Garda has been making arrests in recent weeks but after a lull for a while, a real anguish and fear is setting back in. People are looking for 24-hour surveillance on the key figures involved in the feud to curtail their movements and monitor them. They need to be tailed morning, noon and night.

I acknowledge the Garda has made arrests in recent weeks and that the special response units are there. In most cases where there is a shooting or a petrol bomb, from the Garda's point of view - this could well be affected by resources - it is always reactive and never preventive. If such 24-hour surveillance had been in place last Thursday, the residents in the area might have been spared the horror and fear of criminals attempting to assassinate one another on people's doorsteps. We need the resources to be supplied to provide that 24-hour surveillance. When I raised this with the Taoiseach today, he said that the buck stopped with the Commissioner and that it is an operational matter. I thought it was very apt that he was appearing before the committee tonight.

It is very serious and is not subsiding. The fear is that the worst is yet to come. They seem to be acting with impunity. People cannot see anything happening on the ground. Given the length of time this has been going on, it is just pure luck that an innocent passer-by has not been killed. There was an attack outside a shop in a residential area where the perpetrators stood in the middle of the road and opened fire, again in broad daylight. There was no fear that they would be apprehended or were being tailed. They were quite confident that they could escape and make their way out of town. As it was 4 p.m., they were not worried about traffic or anything. That shows their attitude and brazen nature.

Given how long this has been going on, will the Commissioner allocate additional resources? I know there are about 60 between the two. Given all I have said will the Commissioner give a commitment to allocate resources for 24-hour surveillance, which would send a clear message that they will be monitored morning, noon and night, and that regardless of where they go, the Garda will be on their tail. Part of the problem is that they do not fear that.