Dáil debates

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

3:00 pm

Photo of Brian Lenihan JnrBrian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Rabbitte for wishing well the Garda. The Government conveyed such wishes to the force after its meeting yesterday. The Garda is as organised as the Deputy desires. Incredible patience is often required in operations that seek the conclusion we witnessed last week. While the Garda has a great deal of information and intelligence at its disposal, the question of how one assembles a case for presentation in court is an entirely different matter. The assembly of legally admissible evidence that will establish the guilt of an accused person beyond reasonable doubt is a considerably greater task than accessing information and intelligence. This is the challenge that faces the Garda in all investigations of this type.

The Garda has a policy of engaging in relentless confrontation with all those involved in gangland activity. In some jurisdictions, a decision is taken to simply target one group at the expense of another and to apply relentless pressure on it to the exclusion of all others. The Garda is satisfied it can maintain pressure on all the operations and organise specific, dedicated operations, when appropriate, to seek to apprehend those who are about to commit a particular offence.

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