Seanad debates

Wednesday, 15 December 2004

Garda Síochána Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed).

 

11:00 am

Photo of Jim WalshJim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I will talk about the Courts Service in a minute. There is prudence in this section. For example, it mentions only six areas in which these security officers will serve. The list could be more exhaustive and the Minister should consider other areas and identify them on Report Stage. If the Minister is to implement this measure he should have provision to roll it out without having to come back with other legislation. There could perhaps be a catch-all clause so that other locations which have not occurred to people yet, but might arise in the future, could be covered by a regulation to have the same facility of engaging their own people. The locations mentioned in the Bill are State bodies and their management is vested in people acting on behalf of the State. Therefore, one can rely on there being proper training and recruitment procedures to ensure that the people are of good repute and will carry out these duties with the required diligence. There are protections in the Bill to prevent abuse.

Yesterday I made a point concerning the courts system to which Senator Cummins has now referred. If the courts system moved exclusively to using security people, I would have certain concerns. However, if it is moving towards having some security people backed up by gardaí, that is an entirely acceptable approach. I distinguish the Courts Service from other areas in that one can have a congregation of people, depending on the case, making security essential. Perhaps, in his reply, the Minister might confirm that, while the Courts Service can engage security people, there would obviously still be involvement on the part of gardaí, albeit on a smaller and more selective scale than at present. That must be done.

The provisions in section 114 are very good and prudent. The main reason for us to have gardaí is to regulate society. Their prime function is to ensure that crime is prevented if at all possible, and that is done by high visibility and active involvement in operational duties. Where a crime is committed, it must be pursued diligently to detect the criminals and bring them to court before the laws of the land. If one considers that as a priority, one sees that it is like running any operation. Once one prioritises the functions, subsidiary functions should obviously be dealt with in a way that does not interfere with the primary objective. This section takes that on board.

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