Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for their co-operation in speedily completing the legislative process in this House on the Bill today. I am familiar with Deputy Mac Lochlainn's views in this area. He expressed them at some length on Second Stage. I find them curious because this is all about ensuring greater co-operation at European Union level in dealing with organised crime, subversive crime and other areas of serious crime. It seems to me that there are circumstances in which it is of substantial benefit that the expertise within the Garda Síochána is available to other police forces in investigating cross-national crime within the EU in which some of our organised criminal gangs are engaged. In those circumstances, members of the Garda may assist in another jurisdiction.

Equally, where one is dealing with organised crime that is not contained on a territorial basis and has no interest in antiquated concepts of sovereignty that meant something 50 years ago but have long since been diluted and rendered irrelevant in the context of this particular area, it can be of considerable advantage and assistance that we receive assistance from other police forces in Europe. I can envisage occasions when joint policing operations to both prevent and investigate major crimes are beneficial. A number of very substantial drug seizures and tobacco seizures have resulted from cross-country co-operation in these areas.

I do not understand what the difficulties are. I know that Deputy Mac Lochlainn voiced them at some length on Second Stage with the concept of joint policing. The police forces of Europe need to work very closely together in dealing with organised criminals engaged in a broad range of activities that pose risks to the life and health of people in this State, including the heinous offence of human trafficking, which is a 21st century version of the slave trade.

I very much appreciate the fact that this Bill is going through today uncontested, but it does seem in the context of aspects of it that Sinn Féin has some mental reservations. Perhaps it will work through its mental reservations in a practical and pragmatic way and recognise that there is a substantial amount to be gained for the safety of people in this State in the type of co-operative arrangements envisaged in this Bill and as provided for within it.

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