Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this debate. As Deputy Buttimer stated and regardless of which side of the House we are on, it behoves us to support all law enforcement agencies, including the Garda and the Army. I compliment the Minister and his team on introducing this Bill, the primary purpose of which is to give effect to the European Council decision establishing Europol. Europol has been established since 1995 under an EU convention. However, owing to difficulties with amending the convention, which required a lengthy ratification by member states, it was agreed to replace the convention with a Council decision. This was welcome, as it gave Europol the strongest basis. Since Europol's inception, we have seen only fleeting glimpses of it in news reports on the apprehension, charging and conviction of major criminal gangs.

In this technological age, it is important that we stay abreast of all types of crime, including computer, drugs, smuggling or human trafficking. As an island nation, we cannot survive on our own, let alone in terms of law enforcement. Sharing experiences and intelligence with other police forces is important. I compliment the Garda, Revenue, the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, etc., officials from each of which have learned from other cultures, travelled to the Hague, worked with Europol, gained valuable experience and assisted in solving international crimes. Since criminal gangs have become as sophisticated as law enforcement agencies, we must share resources and knowledge, play our part as a European state and involve our police force at the highest level.

Europol assists member states in combating crime everyday. In Ireland's case, this assistance is achieved through the secure intelligence exchange between the Irish, Europe and international unit based in Garda headquarters and the Irish liaison bureau based in Europol headquarters in the Hague.

Europol has established a number of crime priority areas that are assigned teams of analysts. Ireland contributes to this work everyday. The information gathered has assisted in identifying links between international organised crime groups operating in Ireland and other jurisdictions. Ireland has a vast coastline, securing access to which is difficult. We have been a target. Many of our homegrown criminals have emigrated and send drugs and other contraband back to Ireland. It is a large and lucrative industry. There must be no place for these gangsters, given the appalling level of misery they cause in terms of drugs and human trafficking. Every right-thinking citizen must support the actions of Europol and the Garda.

I have a concern which I hope the Minister will listen to instead of texting. I am concerned about the lack of resources available to the Garda. We cannot keep cutting back in certain areas. We are discussing community defences. I have been a member of a community alert scheme since 1986 and am a strong supporter and board member of Muintir na Tíre, which runs the community alert scheme in conjunction with the Garda. There is no replacement for a garda in a local station or on the beat. Occasional hit and run patrols, as they are called, from 20 miles away are pointless. Just as with Europol, the Garda cannot fight crime without the confidence of the people. Gardaí attending community alert and neighbourhood watch meetings admit that they cannot police without the support and co-operation of the general public.

The dismantling of the Garda's resources is frightening. Gardaí regularly tell me that they do not know whether they will see replacements for squad cars that will be off the road in two days' time because they have 299,000 miles on the clock. Will it be like the Donegal case, in that a person who rings the Garda must collect the gardaí? This is not good enough. The vehicles are old and not up to scratch, but they are a visible presence. Gardaí might have used their own cars 25 or 30 years ago to patrol the beat, but times have moved on and there is nothing as good as a patrol car. It shows support for ordinary people living in their homes. The Minister will need to fight hard to ensure the Garda's budget is ring-fenced.

Last night, the House debated drugs. Europol is dealing with that scourge. County Tipperary's drugs squad has but seven or eight officers of various ranks. This beggars belief.

That small number of people do tremendous work, and there are approximately 40 in the traffic corps. I have had many issues with the Road Safety Authority over the years but it and the traffic corps have done a great job and reduced fatalities on the roads, although one is still too many. We should amend any imbalance and set up an agency within An Garda Síochána to deal with the scourge of drugs. The money would be well spent as we would get it back tenfold. It would help in tackling the cost of ill-health from substance abuse and repairing the misery and broken homes arising from drug use.

We are now seeing gangland murders on what is almost a daily basis, and people are almost getting used to them. These are cold-blooded murders of people, with some of them criminals. One might hear on the news that the victim was known to the Garda - we are all known to the Garda - but such killings can never be acceptable. One would not do to an animal what is being done to these people, and shooting a parent in front of a child is appalling. We must give this issue the urgent response required, which is to send out a message that this will not be tolerated. We should not close down rural Garda stations, take away vehicles and other resources or supply poor quality equipment. Many Garda stations do not even have e-mail facilities. It is time to give gardaí the tools of their trade and let them do their job, with the support of the public.

An Garda Síochána recently took part in a joint operation with the PSNI targeting prostitution on the island of Ireland. Europol assisted this operation through the deployment of analysts, who worked alongside the gardaí and PSNI. That is a positive aspect of Europol's work, and all the security agencies on this island must share information to stamp out this activity. I attended a very harrowing presentation in Buswell's Hotel last week and met a group of people who were forced to work in the sex trade. There is an appalling misery visited on such people, so we should introduce legislation to deal with the activity. I wish the Minister well in this respect and promise to support that required legislation.

I compliment the victims who have escaped the trade, and they were helped by an organisation whose name eludes me. The people are making a good recovery and, most importantly, are willing to tell their horrific stories. It would shock us all, and has certainly shocked me, to learn how vast is the trade and the type of extortion and criminality involved. A large amount of money is made by shoddy businessmen - they are gangsters - in activity that is all under the table. There is no such thing as records or income tax but the trade is shameful and visits misery on people. I am delighted that Europol could assist both An Garda Síochána and the PSNI, and I look forward to a further strengthening of those ties.

In 2011, Ireland assisted Europol in the provision of intelligence and information in mobile organised crime gangs. Most crime gangs are now highly mobile and involved in organised activities, including the theft of rhino horn throughout continental Europe. Work continues, with ongoing intelligence exchanges between Ireland and other member states with regard to the gang in question, which is also involved in crimes such as burglaries, aggravated robberies, fraud, money laundering and drug trafficking. It is a lucrative business and the gangs know they can get away with it. That is why we must provide resources for the Garda Síochána and play our part as a European state in assisting in any possible way. The public must have confidence in us and know local gardaí and liaison officers.

Data protection is also very important. The Minister noted that data under the Act is subject to the provisions and protection of the data protection Acts, which is crucial. All data obtained in confidence must be protected, and there is a very strong data protection regime in Europol. It is generally highly regarded, most recently in a 2012 report following evaluation of the implementation of a Council decision. This is important because people must be assured that data is protected if they are feeding it in. The days of the informer label having horrible connotations when we were under British rule are long gone.

It is in the interest of all our families and futures to help the Garda Síochána and Europol in dealing with crime on an ongoing basis. There must be confidence that we will be able to support and be at ease when dealing with An Garda Síochána. The security agencies must also play their part, which they do. Nevertheless, it can be frustrating for ordinary members of the Garda Síochána, us as politicians and the public when we hear a Minister argue there is no issue or concerns about crime when rank and file gardaí are saying the opposite to me. The Minister must accept what he gets from the Garda Commissioner, who contends that everything is hunky dory and there are enough resources to deal with any issues. Clearly that is not the case, and we could never have enough resources to deal with these kinds of heinous organised crimes. We must listen and respond to any needs. In my own county there is a highly visible rapid response unit. Although there may be only one or two people there, they are quick to action and ready to deal with all kinds of crime. I compliment them on this backup to the ordinary unarmed civil police force personnel.

I am pleased to have had the chance to contribute to the debate on this Bill. I wish it speedy passage through the House. We can never co-operate enough in trying to ensure that gangsters and highly organised criminals are taken on. There must be law and order. The Judiciary must insist that when criminals are charged and found guilty by jury or otherwise, the punishment must be severe. The criminals should not be able to continue money laundering or drug trafficking from within the prison system and such activity must be stamped out as well. We should consider more restorative justice schemes like the one in Nenagh in Tipperary, along with community service. It costs too much to have people in prison and a deterrent is lacking. We should be more imaginative in dealing with the issues.

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