Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans for the establishment of the new Garda organised crime unit; the personnel and resources that will be made available to the unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8964/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the organised crime unit was established on a temporary basis in November 2005 to actively target organised criminal gangs. It was initially established with officers seconded from various units. In January of this year, the unit was established on a permanent basis and full-time staff have been assigned to it. This new status has been awarded to the unit given the successes it has enjoyed over the past two years and in the light of the significant threat which continues to be posed by organised crime.

In order to disrupt organised criminality, Garda operations are regularly put in place targeting both individuals and members of organised crime gangs who are suspected of involvement in criminal activity. An Garda Síochána will continue to use intelligence-led operations against selected targets. The success of operations such as Oak and Anvil are examples of recent Garda successes.

The organised crime unit is being led by an officer at superintendent rank. This officer reports to the assistant commissioner in charge of national support services via the chief superintendent in charge of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The unit currently operates with a staff of 70 members. The allocation of this number of gardaí allows the unit to operate effectively against criminal gangs, and to carry out intelligence-led operations targeting their criminal activities. The Garda Commissioner is keeping the strength of the unit under review, particularly as extra gardaí become available as the strength of the force increases.

It would be a mistake for anyone in this House to assume that the 70 staff in the new organised crime unit comprise the only resource working to combat organised crime. The Garda Commissioner utilises all of the resources available to him, whether they are from the specialist units, regional divisions or local police stations to address this problem.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The new unit will continue to work closely with the other specialist units, including the Garda national drugs unit, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the special detective unit and the emergency response unit in targeting those suspected of involvement in organised criminal activity. The new organised crime unit has already been successful in identifying, profiling and targeting suspects associated with the main criminal gangs. A number of organised crime groups have been targeted in this manner recently, on foot of which firearms have been recovered and drugs seized. This has resulted in a number of people associated with these groups being prosecuted and convicted before the courts.

The Garda Commissioner and other senior gardaí will continue to monitor circumstances as they develop to ensure that the resources available to tackle particular problem areas are sufficient and appropriate.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I tabled this question because I support the Minister and the Garda Commissioner in establishing the specialist crime unit. The Minister stated the unit was established on a temporary basis last November. Is it now permanent? Is it based exclusively in Dublin and are the members from other parts of the country? From what other sections of the Garda were personnel transferred to the unit? Does the unit share personnel with the drug squad, bearing in mind that drug trafficking is the genesis of much of the serious crime in the country? Will the Minister state whether drugs are a main focus of the specialist crime unit?

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The unit was established temporarily in November 2005 and it was in this year that it was decided to establish it on a permanent basis. Officers were seconded from various units. While the detection of drugs offences is a principle responsibility of the unit, it is not the only one. Organised crime takes other forms also, including, for example, the acquisition of firearms. The unit is constantly addressing the procurement of firearms. Systematic burglaries and other types of organised crime can be targeted by the unit.