Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House and wish him well in his new position as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. A final borderline was crossed when Garda Paul Sherlock was coldly gunned down on the streets of Dublin recently. It sent a shockwave through members of the Garda Síochána and every right-thinking person in the country. The uniform is no longer a symbolic protection which served Ireland well in the past. We have a new breed of criminal whose inhibiting brain-mechanisms are overridden by drugs and a ruthlessness and greed for the proceeds of a lucrative and ever-growing drugs trade. They do not respect the symbols, laws or institutions of the State.

As Senator Regan stated, no-one wants to see the day when we have a fully-armed police force. However, we are fooling ourselves if we doubt it might become a reality and even a necessity in the not-too-distant future unless we get to grips with the current crisis. The very least we must have is a greater armed back-up Garda unit readily available in our cities, towns and throughout the country, separate from detective officers already swamped with criminal investigations, court preparations and files.

The term "gang warlords" and other such terms romanticise these vicious thugs and criminals who see that big money can be made from drugs. They have no fear of the Garda Síochána nor qualms about murdering anyone who stands in their way. They are nasty, violent individuals who threaten the very fabric of our society. While the Garda Síochána has an armoury of laws and specialised units to help quell this increasing tide of violent crime, we must continue to be vigilant and ensure that it has the necessary resources at all times. If further legislation is needed to assist gardaí then let us have it. If laws dealing with evidence and curtailment of the rights of suspects need to be addressed, then let us address these laws. The end game is to get these murderous thugs off our streets.

I read with interest the third extensive report of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, entitled Policing in Ireland — Looking Forward. I commend the inspectorate on an excellent report. It made many recommendations and I will refer to two of them, namely, that community policing be at the core of Irish policing policy permeating the entire police force from top to bottom and that greater visibility of our gardaí can be achieved in both rural and urban communities by reducing the time they spend on court service. The inspectorate has hit the nail on the head with these recommendations.

While the Government amendment notes the ongoing provision of state-of-the-art technology to gardaí to enable them to carry out their duties in a more efficient manner, the Garda Inspectorate report stresses the need for better technology to provide real time information to gardaí on the beat most likely to be in the form of hand-held computers or personal digital assistants, PDAs. The report also states that the technology systems in place could be much better integrated and that new technology systems will be required to bring the organisation to best practice.

Where does this sit with the Government's amendment which refers to state-of-the-art technology available? The Government amendment has so many flaws and inaccuracies that it is not worth commenting on. However, referring in October 2007 to the commencement of the provisions of the Children Act 2001 shows the Government's failure and its inability to tackle any issue. I formally second the motion so ably proposed by my colleague, Senator Regan.