Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

condemns the callous disregard for human life shown by those involved in gun and gang crime;

deplores attacks on members of An Garda Síochána carrying out their duty to protect the community;

notes the unprecedented level of resources made available to An Garda Síochána by the Government, totalling €1.44 billion in 2007, compared to just over €0.9 billion five years ago;

notes the ongoing provision of state-of-the-art technology to An Garda Síochána to enable them to carry out their task in the most efficient manner;

acknowledges the commitment in the Programme for Government to a Garda strength of 15,000, with a target date of 2010, and increasing the strength of the Force further to 16,000 by 2012;

welcomes the recruitment of additional civilian staff for An Garda Síochána, which will release additional Gardaí for front-line operational duties, as well as the continued recruitment to the Garda reserve;

welcomes the major reforms to An Garda Síochána introduced by the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and looks forward to the continuing programme of reform and modernisation;

commends the success of An Garda Síochána in increasing the detection rate in 2006 to 40% for all crime;

commends An Garda Síochána on the success of targeted operations such as Operation Anvil;

welcomes the ongoing success of the Criminal Assets Bureau in confiscating the proceeds of crime;

notes the far-reaching changes in criminal law introduced by the Government and enacted by the Oireachtas, directed in particular at gun and organised crime;

acknowledges the efforts of the Government to bring about a more effective youth justice system, particularly through full commencement of the Children Act 2001, which provides for detention as a last resort, and the establishment of the Irish Youth Justice Service;

notes the additional resources being provided to other agencies of the criminal justice system, including the Irish Prisons Service and, in particular, the additional security measures being taken within prisons;

notes the ongoing work of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in finalising policing priorities for 2008, as provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005;

welcomes the priority being given to establishing a Joint Policing Committee in each local authority area following the pilot phase;

calls on all parties to co-operate with and support efforts to tackle crime and make society safer;

recognises that the menace posed by gun and gang crime can be tackled effectively only through the properly resourced agencies of the criminal justice system, including An Garda Síochána, operating within the effective legal framework being provided; and

supports the work of An Garda Síochána and other agencies of the criminal justice system in their steady determination to deal with those who threaten the fundamental rights of the community by their criminal activities."

I will allow the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to speak and I reserve my right to speak later.