Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

That is wonderful and the reason we are not getting the 2,000 extra gardaí. It remains the case that the Minister has not faced up to the serious crime problem, whether it involves murder, gangland killings, anti-social behaviour or drugs. Drug trafficking is one of the most serious issues and is now out of hand.

A question has been tabled on cocaine. We saw in a recent survey that cocaine use is now so ingrained in Irish society that the Garda is finding it extremely difficult to target the problem. This happened under the Minister's watch because cocaine was not readily available in the country when he became Minister. Since he took office, cocaine has spread to every town in Ireland.

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