Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to hear the Minister is open to the suggestion on diesel laundering, cigarette smuggling, cattle rustling, petrol stretching and other types of criminality. Wherever there is a border in Europe, never mind on the island of Ireland, there is an opportunity for criminals to take advantage of it. The fact that we have good co-operation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána and between the two revenue organisations on the island means it would not be a considerable step to set up a joint task force with a dedicated focus on criminality across the region. As the Minister knows, this criminality has extended to murder and attacks on republicans across the Border region. Mr. Frank McCabe, a senior republican, was targeted by criminals. His son was seriously injured and almost killed; he lost an eye and is still recovering. There are many others. As Sinn Féin justice spokesperson, I can speak with authority on the fact that when we stand up to these people, we put our lives on the line. The Government should establish a joint task force to tackle once and for all these people who are profiteering and taking advantage of the Border.

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