Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 49 together.

The questions asked by the Deputies arise in the immediate aftermath of the brutal killing of two people in Firhouse and the equally callous killing of another man in Clontarf in the past two weeks. Both these incidents are being fully investigated by the Garda Síochána and I am sure the House will appreciate that I have to be careful about revealing specific details of the incidents and the intensive investigations that are ongoing in order not to prejudice future prosecutions. I can say, however, that all the indications are that these killings formed part of a vicious feud between two groups who are struggling to control drug distribution in areas of Dublin. The harsh reality is that these people deal in death and will kill to protect their patch and to recover their debts. However, we have to be clear that murder is unacceptable and, regardless of motive, the Garda Síochána is determined to do all in its power to bring the perpetrators of these and other similar offences to justice.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the number of murders recorded to date in 2005 in which firearms were used is 19. While the term "gangland killings" tends to be widely used in the media in referring to the nature of certain unlawful killings, this does not correspond to the manner in which the Garda Síochána classifies crime or particular offences.

The Garda Síochána is now better resourced than at any time in its history. I am very pleased the Government has approved my proposals for the funding of a 14-point anti-crime programme during 2006. A record €1,290 million is being provided to underpin the work of the Garda Síochána. This represents an increase of €146 million or 13% when compared to 2005, or an increase of 115% when compared to the 1997 provision of €600 million. This increased funding will provide, inter alia, for additional Garda overtime, the continuation and extension of Operation Anvil, which is focused on the prevention of serious crime and which has already proven to be successful, and the purchase of a fleet of specially adapted high visibility and high powered Garda vehicles.

The House will be aware that in October 2004 the Government approved my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to a record 14,000 in line with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government in this regard. The ongoing recruitment campaign will lead to a combined strength, of attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 by the end of 2006, 13 months from now.

The Garda Síochána employs a range of techniques in the fight against serious crime. The national bureau of criminal investigation is the Garda specialist unit tasked with the role of tackling organised crime and it carries out this role by conducting intelligence driven operations in close co-operation with other specialist units, specifically, the national criminal intelligence unit, the Garda national drugs unit, the Garda bureau of fraud investigation and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The House will be aware that, as a specific response some months ago to the problem of gun crime in Dublin, the Government decided to provide funding for Operation Anvil. This operation was undertaken, not as the sole response to this problem, but as a targeted response to augment the work which the Garda was doing day in and day out to address this problem. This intelligence-led policing initiative targets active criminals and their associates involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting criminal activity through extensive additional overt patrolling, static checkpoints, uniformed mobile and foot patrols supported by armed plain clothes patrols and covert operations.

Operation Anvil has led to a number of very positive outcomes to date. It has led, for example, to seven arrests for murder, 221 arrests for serious assault and the seizure of 210 firearms. I agreed with the Garda Commissioner in the context of the additional budgetary provision, to which I have alluded, to the continuation of Operation Anvil and to its geographical extension.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

It is, of course, important that the Garda Síochána keeps under review its response to emerging developments and I assure the House that I have been in constant contact with the Garda Commissioner in regard to this matter. In this context, the House will be aware that last week the Garda Commissioner announced he has arranged for the allocation of an additional 50 officers to the national bureau of criminal investigation to a unit to be headed by a detective chief superintendent to augment the effort to target groups involved in organised crime in the Dublin metropolitan region. The unit will, of course, work closely with the gardaí deployed on Operation Anvil and with other specialist units. I am sure the House will welcome this development and continue to support the efforts of the Garda Síochána to deal with the challenges it faces.

It is widely acknowledged that our legislative package for tackling serious and organised crime is one of the toughest in Europe. The Government has been and remains determined to give the Garda the legislative resources necessary to do its job, not least in the Criminal Justice Bill which is before the House and which will significantly assist the Garda, particularly in the area of gun crime.

Moreover, the Government has approved my proposals for further amendments to the Bill, to provide, inter alia, for criminal offences in regard to participation in organised crime, to strengthen existing provisions relating to the ten-year mandatory minimum sentence for drug trafficking and to amend the Firearms Acts 1925 to 2000.

I assure the House that I am in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner to keep the measures and resources for tackling serious crime under continuing review. I am confident these measures will lead to an improvement in the situation in the fight against crime in general and in particular the fight against gangland and organised crime.

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