Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

——putting more gardaí on the street, giving the Garda more resources, providing more prison places for offenders and providing more resources for individual initiatives such as Operation Anvil to target criminal gangs directly. Deputy Kenny is correct that murders for the first quarter increased from nine to 12, which is 12 too many. There are more decreases than increases if one goes through the figures in each category of crime.

The issue is not just about statistics. We must try to do all we can to resource the Garda through its numbers, the laws it enforces and the actions it needs to take to curb crime. The Garda is doing a very good job in many areas, but in a limited number of areas it is up against some very vicious criminals and thugs. Until April this year, 377 firearms were seized under Operation Anvil and more than 2,100 arrests were made for serious crimes, including murder and serious assault. This shows the level of firearms in society. Most of those guns have been found in and around two cities. There have been decreases in many categories of robbery, such as robberies of cash goods in transit, which are down 40%, while robberies from establishments are down 7%. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform informed the Garda Commissioner that he will provide a further €10 million this year towards special Garda operations and tackling specific forms of crime, including burglaries and other offences that have risen in number.

There are 1,740 more gardaí than there were when this Government took office. The accelerated recruitment, which is well under way, will bring the number in the force up to 14,000. Under this programme, 275 gardaí came on stream last month and an additional 275 will come on stream every 90 days from now on. The Garda has been given resources in every area in which it demanded them.

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