Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Government attach the highest importance to tackling the use of illegal firearms and offensive weapons generally. The first of the priorities which the Minister has determined in accordance with the Garda Síochána Acts for the Garda Síochána for 2008 is targeting gun crime and the illegal activities most closely associated with such crime, organised crime and drug trafficking. The Minister has asked that, in pursuing this priority, particular emphasis be placed on the use of specialist units and targeted operations such as Operation Anvil; profiling, intelligence gathering and threat assessments in relation to individuals and groups involved; delivery of Garda commitments under the national drugs strategy; pursuit by the Criminal Assets Bureau of the proceeds of crime; and enhanced activities by the drugs units and the force generally.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 9 December there were 18 murders this year where a firearm was used. While all of these deaths are completely unacceptable, the figure shows a reduction for the corresponding period last year, which was 22. With regard to serious or headline crime, the most recent figures available are for the period up to 30 September. They show that there had been no increase in such crime in the 12 month period to that date. There are no grounds for complacency, but there should be some recognition for what the Garda is achieving.

Our legislation in regard to firearms and other offensive weapons is properly severe. The mandatory sentence for murder is life imprisonment. The Criminal Justice Act 2006 provides for high mandatory minimum and maximum sentences for firearms offences, for example, a maximum of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years for the possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and the use of a firearm to resist arrest or aid escape. The Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 and the Offensive Weapons Order 1991, which control knives and offensive weapons, lay down prohibitions on such weapons and severe penalties for breaking the prohibitions. The Criminal Justice Acts 2006 and 2007 have updated and strengthened the law in many areas important to the fight against gun crime. The Government will continue to bring forward proposals to strengthen the law, including the creation of a national DNA database.

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Over the lifetime of this and the last Government we will have significantly increased the strength of the Garda Síochána. The current programme for Government reaffirms the commitment to a Garda strength of 15,000, with a target date of 2010, and commits us to increasing the strength of the force further to 16,000 by 2012.

Operation Anvil is central to the strategy of the Garda Síochána in combating serious crime and, in particular, murder. The operation which commenced in the Dublin metropolitan region in May 2005 and was subsequently extended nationwide at the Minister's request has proved to be very successful in disrupting the criminal activities of a number of key criminal gangs. It has resulted in a number of high profile arrests and the acquisition of intelligence on the movements of criminals. Notable improvements have been achieved in the recorded number of incidents of crime being targeted by the operation. The most recent figures available, up to 9 December, show that as a result of the operation there have been 816 firearms seized or recovered in the Dublin region alone. There have been 100 arrests for murder, 2,796 for burglary and 1,260 for robbery; more than 40,000 searches for drugs; more than 75,000 checkpoints and property to the value of more than €23.7 million recovered. Outside the Dublin region, there have been 569 firearms seized.

While, as the Minister indicated, the fight against those involved in these types of offences is going to be long and has to be relentless, the approach being taken by the Minister and the Garda Síochána and the unprecedented level of resources being made available to it are producing results which must be built on.

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