Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Operation Anvil commenced in the Dublin metropolitan region on 17 May 2005. The primary focus of this intelligence-driven operation is the targeting of active criminals and their associates involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting their activities through additional overt patrolling and static checkpoints and by uniform mobile and foot patrols supported by armed plain clothes gardaí. The Garda authorities inform me that the cost of Operation Anvil up to 30 September 2005 was €4,029,344, and the number of overtime hours paid to that date was 111,235.

As with all Garda initiatives introduced in response to circumstances at a particular time, the Commissioner keeps the project under constant review in the context of the purpose for which it was introduced. Operation Anvil is ongoing and the necessary resources continue to be made available to ensure that the Garda can succeed in this initiative.

While the provisional quarterly headline crime statistics, which I released last week, show that the number of offences for the year ending in September decreased by 0.2%, I have already expressed my concern and disappointment at the increase of 0.4% in the figures for the first three quarters of the year and of 5.5% in the figures for the third quarter. The figures for firearms offences in particular show the continuing need for Operation Anvil. I am encouraged by the fact that the number of detections of possession of firearms has shown a marked increase since the second quarter, during which Operation Anvil was introduced. While Operation Anvil is proving very successful, is just one part of a multifaceted strategy to deal with the problems it seeks to address.

I take great satisfaction in the Government's decision last October to approve my proposal for the recruitment of 2,000 additional gardaí to increase the strength of the force to 14,000.

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