Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Europol Bill 2012 which will enable this country to implement an EU Council decision establishing the European Police Office. The objective of Europol is to improve effectiveness and co­operation of the law enforcement authorities of member states in preventing and combating organised crime, terrorism and other forms of serious crime affecting member states.

As a Deputy for Cavan-Monaghan, cross-Border co-operation between the Police Service of Northern Ireland, PSNI, and An Garda Síochána is something I wholeheartedly support and encourage. It is an area on which we must expand further. Only last week, I attended a special meeting of Clones Town Council to discuss dangerous driving practices, including diffing and donuting, on the A3-N54 Clones to Cavan road. This has been a long-running issue in the area and a number of constituents have contacted me to outline their concerns. I wish to quote from a letter received from one constituent which clearly outlines the problem:

On Sunday 6th March 2011 at approximately 5 p.m., my daughter was travelling back to her home in Portarlington when on the Clones/Cavan concession road, a car (with lots of spectators) did a 'doughnut' in the middle of the road as she was driving along. It was touch and go to being a tragedy which left her shaken and scared.

That is typical of what happens on the road currently. I received the letter in March 2011 but unfortunately the problem still persists and it is clear that action must be taken or a fatality is inevitable. The problem lies in the fact that the road in question crosses the Border at a number of points between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. While I commend members of the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, whom I know are doing their utmost to police the area as effectively as possible, unfortunately, due to the legal restrictions involved, neither force has the authority to enter the opposing jurisdiction to make an arrest. That is proving to be a major problem in apprehending those responsible. I previously raised the matter with the chief superintendent of An Garda Síochána in Monaghan and I also met with the chief inspector of the PSNI in Fermanagh to discuss the matter. Following those discussions, it was clear that in order for the problem to be properly addressed that further powers must be extended to the PSNI and An Garda Síochána.

I previously raised the issue with the Minister and suggested that the Schengen Agreement could be examined as a means to resolving the situation. Under the Schengen Agreement, police forces in a number of EU countries have the right to chase suspected criminals across borders. The Minister previously advised that in their applications to participate in the Schengen Agreement, neither Ireland nor the United Kingdom will sign up to Article 41, which provides for hot pursuit across international borders. I appreciate that in order for the approach to be effective both this country and the UK would have to opt in and in that regard, I urge the Minister to pursue the matter seriously with his counterpart in the UK.

I am pleased to be a member of the recently established North-South Inter-Pparliamentary Association, which represents further progress in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and provides a unique opportunity for politicians from north and south of the Border to maximise co-operation for the benefit of the people we represent.

I believe this should be the same for our respective police forces. Diesel laundering is another major problem in the Border region and this could also be addressed more comprehensively by allowing the PSNI or the Garda to enter either jurisdiction and make an arrest.

Europol is the perfect example of how joined-up thinking and co­operation between member states can work to prevent and combat crime. To date, substantial work has been carried out in the areas of organised crime, illegal immigration and prostitution. We should take this positive framework and further build upon it at national level in terms of cross-Border policing.

See this speech in context