Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The House had the opportunity last week to express its abhorrence at the killing of Mr. O'Kane. A person has been charged in connection with this killing and the Garda investigations are continuing. Consequently, I am greatly constrained in what I can say about the specific incident.

The criminal use of firearms is very serious and is tackled by An Garda Síochána with appropriate strategies. Tackling public order issues is also a priority for both the Garda and the Government. This is evidenced by the resources we have committed to front line policing, which I am determined will continue to have top priority. A focus of Operation Anvil has been removing illegal weapons from circulation. To date, more than 2,200 firearms have been seized since its inception in 2005. As the House is aware, I have also made proposals for dealing with the easy availability of weapons through tackling the issue of licensed handguns.

Since 2002, when the Garda introduced Operation Encounter specifically to target anti-social behaviour, almost 520,000 public order offences have been detected. Strong provisions are now in place to combat anti-social behaviour and the abuse of alcohol, which is the root cause of much criminal and anti-social behaviour. The Criminal Justice Act 2006 enacted provisions to combat anti-social behaviour by adults and children. The Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008 gives further significant powers to the Garda to tackle binge drinking and the availability of alcohol to under age people.

I recognise that dealing with public disorder is an issue on which co-operation between the Garda and the local community is vital. That is why I am proceeding with the roll-out nationwide of the joint policing committees, following a successful pilot phase.

I attach great importance to tackling crime by juveniles in a focused and comprehensive way. The Irish Youth Justice Service was established within my Department to develop an integrated response to youth offending within the framework of the Children Act 2001. However, none of these measures can substitute for the primary moral and legal responsibility on parents where the behaviour of their children is concerned.

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