Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, to the House and acknowledge his interest in the issue I am raising, namely, increased criminality and the ongoing drugs war in Drogheda. As the Minister will be aware, we had a briefing from the chief superintendent and superintendent in Drogheda outlining the difficulties and problems they are facing and the resources, commitment, drive and energy they are investing in the issue.

The fact is that they are doing their best, but they need more support. The Minister's visit to the Moneymore estate where some of the serious criminal activities in question have occurred was welcomed by the residents. It was important that he met the residents to discuss their concerns. The estate is behind the fight against crime and supports the Garda in its task in Drogheda.

The Garda overtime bill in County Louth is now higher than ever. In the past year the Louth Garda division has investigated five separate murder cases. The problem is that the cost of the resources which are rightly and properly put into solving these evil crimes is met from its budget without additional funding being allocated. This means that the day-to-day administrative budget of the Louth Garda division is reduced. While the support of the regional armed units in policing in Drogheda is welcomed, the cost is met from the budget for the Louth Garda division. Again, it means its resources are diminished significantly.

Dundalk and Drogheda are of equal size. However, last month Drogheda had 52 fewer permanent gardaí than Dundalk, which was unacceptable. I welcome the significant increase, with 18 additional gardaí in Drogheda which had a positive impact in increasing the visibility of the force in the town. The people of the town welcome the extra gardaí into the community, but they want to see more. Another difficulty is that after Christmas, 15 of the 18 additional gardaí will be deployed elsewhere, which is entirely unacceptable. It is not for the Minister or me to decide where gardaí go. I appreciate that the Minister has increased resources for the Garda and made every resource available to it. However, significantly more resources are needed. It is essential that additional permanent gardaí be based in the town of Drogheda to fight the crime in question, as well as for regular policing duties.

There is a CCTV system on the Moneymore estate, but it is not working. It is the duty of the county council to deal with this issue. It is in discussions with the Garda. However, nothing has yet happened. If the CCTV system was working, it could prevent crime. It would also give the people living on the estate in question security and the knowledge that anybody who broke the law in the estate through petrol bombing, for example, would be apprehended.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I also note the presence of Deputy Breathnach for the debate.

At Deputy O’Dowd’s invitation, I visited Drogheda Garda station last week when I was impressed by the robust response of the Garda authorities in the area. High visibility patrolling and targeted checkpoints have been successful in containing further major incidents and provided reassurance for the community in Drogheda. There has been increased engagement by way of targeted patrolling and personal visits to families being intimidated because of drug debts have also taken place. Threats on members of An Garda Síochána who work on a 24/7 basis to protect communities and detect crime are reprehensible and have no place in a civilised society.

As I outlined in previous responses on this matter, I am aware of the impact the type of criminal activity that recently took place in Drogheda can have on a community, as highlighted during my visit last week. I understand the concerns of the people of Drogheda and other areas of County Louth. This type of criminal behaviour will not be tolerated. I had the opportunity to visit the Moneymore estate with Deputy O’Dowd where we met community leaders. We also acknowledged the work being done in the family resource centre.

On the distribution of Garda resources, I am advised that Garda management keeps this issue under continuous review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities. Drogheda has been the subject matter of a review recently. On the allocation of Garda personnel in the Louth division, Garda strength is currently 340 members, with 110 located in Drogheda. Up to 18 of the most recent Garda graduates were allocated to County Louth for the Christmas period and nine have remained within the division. In addition, four newly appointed sergeants were allocated to the Louth division in October, with three allocated to Drogheda Garda station. Several newly promoted inspectors and sergeants will be allocated to the Louth division in the coming weeks.

I am advised that An Garda Síochána is conducting full investigations into the events that took place in Drogheda recently. As such, it would be inappropriate for me to comment while the investigations are ongoing. However, I have been informed by An Garda Síochána that there have been several arrests covering a range of offences, in addition to significant intelligence received. In responding to the incidents referred to by the Deputy the Garda has put in place a policing operation to prevent, detect and mitigate any further escalation of violence. If anyone has any information on incidents in Drogheda, will, he or she, please, contact his or her nearest Garda station or us the Garda confidential line at 1800 666 111 as soon as possible? Any information, no matter how small, could be of great assistance in the ongoing Garda inquiries in Drogheda.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the great work the Garda is doing and the Minister's personal interest in this matter. His visit to the town was important. However, the fact remains that Drogheda does not have an adequate number of gardaí. The extra 18 gardaí are welcome and have transformed Drogheda, giving confidence to the community. However, they are needed into the future. I wrote to the Garda Commissioner to ask him to visit Drogheda. He visited Longford recently and it is incumbent on him to meet the community in Drogheda. It would help to assure people that the resources required would be provided. I cannot accept that there will not be an increase in the number of gardaí based permanently in Drogheda.

When I speak to gardaí, the superintendent and the chief superintendent, they tell me they need and have asked for permanent gardaí who have not yet been assigned. I will raise the matter in the new year if I must.

I welcome the actions of the Garda and the Minister's support and commitment. The Garda Commissioner and the political system must put the resources into Drogheda that it is entitled to so the people worrying in their beds at night are not the good and decent people of Moneymore but rather the criminals who cause all the trouble for everybody. They are small in number.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I do not want to break protocol but I acknowledge the work of the Minister in visiting the area and the work of Deputy O'Dowd. I am here to support him, as both of us are elected Members for the constituency of Louth. We work hand in glove to try to deliver on these matters, so I support the Deputy's Topical Issue matter. I support the Minister's comments. Wherever resources are required to crack down on what is a terrible situation in Drogheda, which has a great impact on communities there, I lend my weight to supporting the call for them.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I assure the House yet again I am absolutely committed to supporting An Garda Síochána to ensure the organisation is properly and appropriately resourced. The resources available to An Garda Síochána have reached new levels with the provision for this year of more than €1.6 billion, including an allocation of €95 million in respect of Garda overtime. We are also making progress on achieving the Government's vision in respect of numbers and new recruits.

I acknowledge again the interest of Deputy O'Dowd in the matter and thank him for his invitation to me to visit Drogheda Garda station last week and meet community leaders. I recognise the work of the men and women of An Garda Síochána who work in Drogheda every day and night. I acknowledge that they face a very serious challenge. As I said before, the type of criminal behaviour that took place in Drogheda in November has no place in a civilised society. It will not be tolerated. An Garda Síochána has overcome similar challenges in the past and, while all of us must remain vigilant, I am satisfied, having met Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan and Superintendent Andrew Waters, that they will meet this challenge and overcome it.

I thank Deputy O'Dowd for his interest in the matter and the town of Drogheda over a long number of years. I assure him of the support of the Government in dealing with this challenge for the Garda Síochána, the communities and us as public representatives. I thank Deputy O'Dowd for raising this matter in the Dáil and his assurance that he will monitor the position over Christmas. I would be happy to revert to it in the new year when the Dáil resumes.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister.