Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this particularly important motion. I strongly support the concept and have done so for many years. National and international crime is becoming very sophisticated and requires a co-ordinated effort on the part of police forces globally. This means that they need to be able to understand and speak to each other and have a common concept of what policing is. Our police need to be up to date on the procedures followed in these situations.

Reference has been made to the possibility of transfers between police forces. This is a very good idea that should be taken on board. There is provision under the Good Friday Agreement for transfers up to a certain point between Northern Ireland and here, and this should be extended. There is great scope for people who have experience in other police forces to transfer. I see no reason they cannot transfer right across Europe under this concept. It would benefit the country to which police officers transfer and the country they leave, because provision can be made for an exchange.

We need common intelligence. The intelligence methods used by police forces must be standardised. If we do not have a standardised system and similar procedures in every country in the EU and globally, we will not have the same advantage in fighting global crime. White-collar crime is becoming very sophisticated nationally and internationally and we must equip our police force with that in mind.

We also need to realise that the question of cybercrime is coming more and more into focus. It cannot be done from one country alone; policing methods in terms of detection need to be standardised. Our police need to be able to recognise and converse knowledgeably with their colleagues right across the globe, not only throughout Europe. This will have a beneficial effect in this country and on the reduction in crime generally.

To go back to the question of police transfers, Deputy Clare Daly made an interesting point that it is no harm to bring in somebody with outside thinking and to have them on board in our territory as well. That is a good idea. The day is gone when everybody put up barriers and remained in their own cosy cocoon. It is no longer acceptable. Particularly in fighting crime we cannot do that and cannot do it effectively. If we look at the extent to which major drug hauls have been identified over the last ten years off our shores, very often police from a long way away track by satellite. This is the kind of sophistication we need to be familiar with, adapt to and adopt for our benefit.

There is also the question of terrorism which is a fact of life nowadays. We have no control over the things that happen outside our jurisdiction but it is no harm to be alert to them and aware of the methods used. If there are issues that are in violation of human rights, of course we need to talk about them and curtail them specifically. The purpose of the exercise is to have a co-ordinated approach in the administration of justice and law and order and to create a stronger force to deal with the criminal elements that are becoming more and more sophisticated in their operations as time goes on. That can only be to the benefit of our society, our police force and global peace. Recent events in France and other countries have shown there is a necessity to be alert to what is happening considerably in advance of it happening. It gives us an insight and a warning. We need to do that. We have always benefited from co-operation with overseas police and that will remain the case.

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