Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I have a good deal of sympathy with the point Deputy Gregory made. From recent accounts given to me of places to which the Garda has gone where crime has been committed or where people have fled following crimes, I have been surprised by the accumulation of physical possessions such as flat-screen televisions in various bedrooms where there does not seem to be a support base for it. I take Deputy Gregory's point that in such cases there should be a follow-up. Those involved should not simply note these matters and leave the house. Somebody should return to take what appear to be proceeds of crime, directly or indirectly, into possession. That is a matter which I will raise with the Commissioner.

I am not suggesting to the Deputy that all is perfect, nor am I stating that the CAB is perfect. Perhaps I did not fully understand the Deputy's point. I believed he was suggesting the CAB be regionalised but he is proposing to have on-the-ground asset hounds whose job it would be to sweep up assets. That is a useful suggestion. In each Garda division there is now a criminal assets profiler whose job it is to examine assets in his or her division and bring information thereon to the attention of the CAB generally. The CAB has local eyes and ears on the ground and is not working entirely within a bubble in Dublin. I would like that to be understood.

The Deputy is making a different point which I understand; it concerns the prioritisation of criminals with the Jeeps, holidays and plasma televisions. Just because criminals are operating below a certain threshold does not mean action should not be taken against them. Depriving people of their assets will actually turn the tide in the war against drugs. I take the Deputy's point in this regard.

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