Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Last week in a lengthy debate in this House on tackling crime I made the point that the Government has a duty to vindicate the rights of citizens to enjoy their lives and their property peaceably. I repeat the assurance I gave to the House that this Government will never be found wanting in taking whatever measures can reasonably be taken to tackle crime. I also said it is my intention to prioritise areas such as gun crime, organised crime and drugs and public order. At the very forefront of those measures is providing the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána with the level of resources he needs to tackle crime in all its shapes and forms.

The current programme for Government re-affirms the commitment to increase Garda strength to 15,000, with a target date of 2010, with a commitment to further increase Garda strength to 16,000 by 2012. The current strength of the Garda Síochána is 13,288 with a further 1,358 recruits in training.

Approval has also been given for the recruitment of 600 civilian staff, 300 of whom have already been assigned. The civilianisation of non-policing functions is a priority development for the future of the force. As set out clearly by the Garda Síochána inspectorate, international best practice focuses police officers on core policing functions. Civilianisation will release many gardaí for the operational duties for which they are professionally trained.

The Garda budget now stands at €1.44 billion. This compares to just over €0.9 billion five years ago. Garda overtime this year will total about €140 million. This compares to €66 million five years ago. The Garda fleet is undergoing major modernisation. Last year €24.7 million was used to purchase 1,378 vehicles for the force, renewing over half the entire fleet. The national development plan provides €260 million over the next five years for Garda stations and other accommodation. This level of resources translates into tangible improvements with increased and improved levels of policing on the ground.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

Technology is and will continue to be an essential tool in supporting the gardaí in their day to day work and I am determined that the gardaí will have access to state of the art technology in carrying out their duties. The Garda Síochána will deploy the latest technology to enhance its capability to effectively tackle gangland crime. A new national digital radio system is being implemented over the next two years. Over 17,000 radios will be provided for gardaí, in Garda vehicles and other locations. The development of a new major incidents system will automate many of the functions currently being performed manually when a major incident occurs. The roll-out of a new automated fingerprint identification system for the Garda technical bureau is virtually completed. The procurement of a new automated ballistic identification system is underway.

Last week the Garda Commissioner announced significant enhancements to the way in which the investigation of major crimes will be managed by the gardaí. In addition to the appointment of 21 divisional detective inspectors and additional regional detective superintendents, a senior investigating officer will take charge of each serious crime investigation and each serious crime will also have a designated incident room co-ordinator.

Combating gun crime, organised crime and drug trafficking requires a sustained and long-term effort. There is no quick-fix solution. However, this Government and I are committed to continue resourcing the force to face these challenges into the future.

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