Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom labhairt an ábhar seo inniu. Last Tuesday a constituent of mine was shot dead in Furry Park in Killester. A street was cordoned off, Garda barriers were erected and local children learned that a man was shot. Eamon Kelly was a notorious criminal but daylight murder should not happen in a civilised society.

There are those who would openly argue that as long as these people are killing each other, it does not matter. There are those who say people who live by the sword die by the sword or that this was no loss. These people do not have a clue about what they are talking. I am thankful this murder did not injure or harm any bystander or other innocent party.

However, such events imprint themselves on the consciousness of a community, which is not healthy. I know children who have lost family members to violent crime, and this has created a scar that will last a lifetime and poison their minds, possibly irreversibly.

The killing of Eamon Kelly was connected to the murder, also in my constituency, of Alan Ryan, who was shot dead on 3 September last. The Irish Times reported the following in connection with the killings:

Gardaí believe Ryan was shot dead in a conspiracy between a number of crime gangs as part of their efforts to resist the extortion demands of the Real IRA, with Ryan having led that extortion campaign. Intelligence suggests the Real IRA believe Eamon Kelly had assisted the gangs in organising the Ryan murder, with Kelly believed to have been gunned down as a result of his involvement.

Deputy Kevin Humphreys and I represent areas where young children and men are dragged into gang culture as they seek a perverse sense of empowerment.

I have a number of direct questions for the Minister. Does he agree that murder is murder regardless of who is the victim and whether he or she is known to the Garda? Does he have a view on how we can prevent this specific feud and feuds in general from spiralling out of control to avoid further bloodshed? Does he agree that constant attacks by politicians and media commentators on the pay, terms and conditions of the Garda Síochána are undermining Garda morale? Is he confident the Garda has sufficient resources to address this issue? How can we prevent young men and women from being sucked into this destructive way of life?

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who is unable to be present owing to other business. The Minister shares the widespread outrage at the type of criminality to which the Deputy refers and fully appreciates the concerns of communities who find this violence taking place on their streets. The brutal nature of these crimes is a stark reminder to us of the mentality of those involved in organised criminality and the danger they pose to society.

The Minister is in ongoing contact with the Garda Commissioner about all aspects of serious crime, and the Garda will continue to bear down heavily on the activities of those involved in gangland crime. The only effective way to combat organised crime is by disrupting and prosecuting those involved in its operations, especially the drugs trade which is at the heart of much of its profits. Extensive Garda operations have been launched against gangs and significant drug seizures made in recent months and weeks. These have included a major programme of more than 200 searches which were carried out nationwide under Operation Wireless, resulting in the seizure of a substantial amount of drugs and more than 100 arrests. Overall, An Garda Síochána seized drugs of an estimated value of €65.5 million in 2011, with drugs seizures estimated at €90.4 million for the first nine months of this year.

The Garda is also determined, in co-operation with colleagues in the PSNI, to continue to tackle robustly the activities of so called dissident republicans. It is clear that some of these groups have inextricable links with organised crime.

It is worth noting that the most recent recorded crime statistics, which were released at the end of September, show that crime levels in most categories are falling, which reflects well on the work of An Garda Síochána. For the 12-month period until the end of June, murder decreased by 8% and assault offences declined by 9.7%.

We should not underestimate the difficulties the Garda faces in trying to prevent gangland killings and related crimes and bringing the perpetrators to justice. These crimes are carefully planned and carried out by people who are familiar with criminal and forensic investigation techniques. Moreover, despite the clear risk to themselves, members of gangs will not generally co-operate with Garda investigations. The Minister understands that despite these difficulties, the Garda has been able to bring people before the courts, particularly in relation to a number of high profile killings in recent years, although it will be some time before these cases are disposed of.

As Deputies will be aware, the prompt action of gardaí resulted in the arrest of a man close to the scene of the horrific killing in Killester this week. The House will appreciate that because a person is in custody in relation to the killing, it would not be appropriate for me to go into detail about this particular incident.

It would be wrong to characterise this as a budgetary matter. There has been gangland violence for some time in Ireland and the number of murders was higher when Garda numbers were higher than at present. It is also unrealistic to expect the Garda Commissioner to devote his entire resources to protecting individually people who are routinely trying to avoid the Garda in order that they can continue to engage in criminal activity. Such an approach could only come at the expense of ordinary Garda activity to protect the community generally.

Strong anti-gangland legislation is in place. The Minister has made it clear to the Garda Commissioner that if he believes other measures could be taken in this area, he will examine them positively. It would be misleading to suggest, however, that there is some simple legislative solution which would prevent dangerous criminals from trying to kill each other. If that were the case, it would have been enacted years ago.

Furthermore, the Garda Commissioner is leading what he rightly describes as "the most fundamental restructuring of An Garda Síochána" since its foundation. There is a clear imperative to free up gardaí to ensure they are available for front-line operational purposes, and this is precisely the strategy the Commissioner is pursuing. The Commissioner enjoys the full support of the Government in continuing to confront criminal gangs and in bringing those involved to justice.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and ask him to elaborate on the following statement in his reply:

It is also unrealistic to expect the Garda Commissioner to devote his entire resources to protecting individually people who are routinely trying to avoid the Garda in order that they can continue to engage in criminal activity. Such an approach could only come at the expense of ordinary Garda activity to protect the community generally.

If there is a suspicion that someone may be shot, surely other persons in his or her vicinity will also be at risk? I will repeat my question and ask whether the Minister agrees that murder is murder. The Minister of State's reply did not give any of the Minister's thoughts on how the feud to which I referred could be prevented from spiralling out of control. We are aware of two killings related to this particular issue, both of which occurred in a small geographical area of my constituency. How can we prevent someone else being shot? Both of the recent killings took place in broad daylight. Such events do not take place in a civilised society and I do not want to see Garda tape about the place when I travel around my constituency.

I am not convinced by the reply the Minister of State gave. While I do not expect the Garda Commissioner to devote his entire resources to protecting those who are at risk of assassination, at the same time, we must understand the nature of these types of murder attempts and who could be hurt or potentially killed as a result of them.

The Minister of State addressed the issue of Garda resources. Does he agree that when people consistently attack Garda pay and conditions, which are covered by various agreements, they undermine Garda morale? How can we prevent young people from disadvantaged areas being sucked into a criminal way of life to pursue a perverse sense of empowerment?

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality. I also acknowledge the presence of Deputy Kevin Humphreys. I will convey the points Deputy Ó Ríordáin makes to the Minister for direct reply. Notwithstanding the shocking events to which he referred, we should remember that, week in and week out, the Garda successfully brings people involved in gangland activities before the courts and secures convictions. A substantial number of gangland criminals are serving prison sentences. As I stated, I cannot comment on the details of the case the Deputy raises.

The Minister will continue to pursue important improvements to the overall legislative architecture. In this regard, the legislative priority for combating crime is the publication and enactment of a new criminal justice (forensic evidence and DNA database system) Bill.

This Bill represents a major step forward and will be important in the fight against serious crime. It will lead to the establishment for the first time of a national DNA database and give the Garda access to intelligence on a scale and of a quality that were not previously available. This is welcome news.

Despite the constraints on public finances, substantial Garda resources remain in place. These must be seen in the context of a programme of real reform being delivered by the Garda under the Croke Park agreement. The Garda has the Minister's full confidence and I am sure that every Deputy would acknowledge its achievements in tackling serious and all other forms of crimes and its continued work on behalf of our community.

Regarding the activation of people on the ground, social enterprise and the education system are important, as the Deputy knows from his involvement in his community. Being a rural-based politician, I know that this is a question of educating young people at an early stage and community leaders getting as many people as possible involved. This week, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, announced her plan to return 10,000 people to work. I hope that the jobs budget will have this result for people who are currently unemployed and are being retrained, upskilled and so on.

Activity is the best approach. The social enterprise agenda is being enacted in every community and is undoubtedly relevant to the Deputy's constituency. It must be supported. We must support facilities for community involvement. One cannot beat the role of communities and the volunteers therein. The State cannot do this alone. Rather, a partnership between people and State agencies is necessary. It will undoubtedly make a difference.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, will reply to the Deputy directly on the issues that have been raised. I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I also thank Deputy Kevin Humphreys for his attendance.