Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I cannot agree with the Taoiseach about Operation Thor because I believe it has sent these criminals underground and into rural areas. A couple of weeks ago, 64 people were arrested in one day in Carlow and Kilkenny, but it was all in urban areas. We must be very careful about what we are doing here and how we are tackling the problem. I thank the Taoiseach for his comments but I want action. I want an end to these people being treated with kid gloves. There is free legal aid and every sort of pampering and nonsense for them. The full rigours of the law must be applied to them. Every one of us has parents or grandparents who grew older and more frail until we possibly lost them. We became more protective of them. We want to protect our elderly people. That is how we will be judged as politicians.

I ask the Taoiseach and the Government to get cross about this issue because we cannot and will not tolerate it or allow it to go on in our country. It is not right and it is not fair.

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