Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When the Garda Commissioner appeared before the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality recently, as the Minister will be aware, he outlined up to 25 criminal organisations operating in the State which are part of an organised crime network and gangland activities. It is mind-boggling to think that up to €860 million is being lost to the Exchequer by way of the illegal tobacco trade, fuel laundering, counterfeit goods, digital piracy and counterfeit medicines, apart from the illegal drugs trade, which is wreaking havoc in many communities throughout the country. People have asked me and others whether the State is beginning to lose the battle against these gangland criminals who are operating in Dublin and right across the country. Linked to that, the Minister needs to nail his colours to the mast in stating what will be the minimum number of members of An Garda Síochána in terms of the strength of the force.

How low will the Minister allow the numbers in the force to drop to before he states that is the minimum and that the force needs to be properly resourced by way of personnel? People are, rightly, pointing out to me and others that the Minister engaged in a recruitment campaign for the Defence Forces which resulted in the recent recruitment of 600 personnel. While it is not fair to compare a member of An Garda Síochána and a member of the Defence Forces on a one-for-one basis as they provide different services, how are we to win the war against gangland crime and avoid gangland related murders? We are seeing murders in broad daylight in the presence of minors and children nearly every day. These started well before the murder of Alan Ryan with the murder of Declan O'Reilly and other tit-for-tat murders, as well as the murder of the Northern Ireland prison officer David Black and last week's murder. The Minister has cited several operations in which An Garda Síochána is engaged which have enjoyed a large degree of success. By how much does the number of personnel in the force have to be watered down before the Minister recognises the need to recruit new members? Will he recognise that up to 1,200 gardaí could retire in the next year and that it will take two years to train new recruits?

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