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

If the Deputy was listening to my reply, he would have noticed that in the context of the success of An Garda Síochána, whereas there were drugs seized in 2011 to a value of €65 million, in the first three quarters of 2012 the figure came to €90.4 million. The Garda has had an exceptionally successful year in targeting organised crime, those engaged in the sale of illegal drugs, tobacco smugglers and the subversive terrorists in our midst. The Deputy knows this and there is no sense of any description that the Garda is losing any battle. Instead, it is engaging in smart policing, specific and focused operations, as well as focusing on a broad range of issues within the criminal justice area. In the context of gangland crime, there are focused operations to curtail the activities of those engaged in gangs and bring them before the courts. The Garda has achieved enormous success in Limerick, for example, and over 60 gang members are now in prison.

The Deputy referred to recent events. However, as he knows, I am constrained in the House in saying anything about these events because of pending criminal prosecutions as a result of successful Garda investigations. It would be good if, for once, he acknowledged that we have a Garda force that is doing an extraordinary job and using its resources wisely. Like all other arms of the State, it has less funding available to it, but it is using existing funds more smartly and in a better and more targeted way than may have been the case seven years ago. The Deputy, in his addicted search for a tabloid headline, should restrain himself and avoid undermining public confidence in the work the Garda is doing and, for once, acknowledge it is doing an extraordinary job. Many of the force's members, in the interests of the communities they serve, place their lives at serious risk.

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