Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The despicable shooting in Omagh reminds us starkly of that awful era in our country when so many innocent people lost their lives and so many were seriously injured. Last night's horrific incident strongly reinforces the message that the Government must always ensure every necessary resource is provided to An Garda Síochána and all other relevant statutory agencies to rid our society of this small number of criminals and thugs who shamelessly masquerade as so-called republicans. It is also essential we continue to have the best possible cross-Border collaboration in policing and security issues.

We need to have the ability to apprehend terrorists who may come in to our jurisdiction. There are unique policing demands in Border regions. Garda authorities at national level in allocating resources must be mindful of those additional demands on our Garda personnel. I sincerely hope the PSNI does the same in Northern Ireland. The political vacuum in Northern Ireland serves the interest of nobody and it is to be hoped we will have progress quickly in that respect.

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