Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity afforded to me by the House to contribute to this debate on crime.

To take up on a point made by Senator Cummins, great credit is due to my predecessor for enacting the Garda Síochána legislation which provided for the office of the inspector. When that legislation was debated, it is fair to say that most of the focus of Members of both Houses was on the establishment of the new Garda Ombudsman Commission and the investigation of complaints against gardaí. The debate on that Bill did not focus very much on the establishment of this office. It is an important reformative innovation in the administration of the Garda Síochána that we now have a professional external audit of Garda performance. I assure Members that the recommendations of the inspector, some of which were referred to by Senators Regan and Cummins, are being implemented by the Government. I am determined to implement them because, so often in these debates on criminal matters, we all give our opinion about how crime can be investigated, detected, punished and dealt with. To have brought into Ireland a person of the eminence of the current inspector who formerly headed up the police force in Boston is very valuable and I pay tribute to her work. She reports on the reform of Garda headquarters and on operational matters which I think was the report to which Senator Cummins referred.

I would like to make one point about crime that every right-thinking person will immediately agree with and which is often forgotten in the heat of debate. Surprisingly, it was forgotten by those who drafted the motion before the House. Those who are responsible for the deaths, injuries and destroyed and broken lives which are the result of criminal activity are those who engage in criminal activity. Being a member of society carries with it an obligation to obey laws which enable all the members of society to enjoy their lives and property without fear or threat. It is to make this point that the first indent of the countermotion condemns the callous disregard for human life shown by those involved in gun and gang crime. At the same time, we must be aware that those who seek out and use illicit drugs provide the demand that sustains the drugs industry and the deadly violence associated with it.

The Government countermotion goes on to deplore attacks on members of the Garda Síochána carrying out their duty to protect the community. We had a reminder recently of the dangers which members of the force face when going about their duties. The reprehensible attack on Garda Paul Sherlock in the recent weeks made clear again that the members of criminal gangs will go to any lengths to protect and expand their illegal and harmful dealings. I know Members have shared in the condemnation of this attack on a member of the force. We are all relieved that Garda Sherlock is recovering from his injuries. The Garda is vigorously investigating the attack.

I hope this debate — dealing as it does with serious issues — can be constructive, so I do not propose to dwell at too much length on the terms of the Fine Gael motion which, in part, is tendentious. The last time that party was in Government, it cancelled the prison building programme, presided over the famous revolving door policy and failed to put even one extra Garda on the street. Time passes and I have to account for my stewardship of this office in this term of Government. I accept that.

It is easy to talk tough on crime but what is needed is to be tough on crime. That means providing the resources. There is one statement in the Fine Gael motion with which I agree. What is needed is a combination of adequate resources for the Garda, effective criminal legislation and innovative policing methods. I contend that this is precisely what the Government is providing and will continue to provide.

Senator Regan raised the question of targets which was a fair question. The Garda Síochána set out targets in its annual policing plan. That is an innovation and a new feature of the legislation my predecessor introduced regulating the Garda Síochána. Resources for the Garda are at an unprecedentedly high level. The Garda budget for this year stands at €1.44 billion compared with just under €900 million five years ago. Garda overtime this year will amount to approximately €140 million compared with €66 million five years ago. Since December 2006, approval has been given for the recruitment of 600 additional civilian staff and 300 have been assigned already, releasing gardaí for operational duties. The Garda fleet is undergoing extensive modernisation. Last year €24.7 million was used to purchase 1,378 vehicles for the force.

The size of the force has been expanding through a concentrated programme of recruitment and training. Senators are welcome to visit the training college in Templemore and see the volume of activity taking place there. The current programme for Government re-affirms the commitment to a Garda strength of 15,000, with a target date of 2010, and commits us to increasing the strength of the force further to 16,000 by 2012. Recruitment to the Garda reserve will also continue to be a priority. One of the vital issues with such a substantial deployment of personnel is the efficient management of the personnel and its deployment in as visible a way as possible to the public. I welcome the views of the Garda inspectorate in that regard.

I am determined that the Garda will have access to state-of-the-art technology in carrying out its duties. Senator Cummins raised the question of the provision of communications equipment and Senator Regan may have touched on it. In implementing the new national digital radio system during the next two years, more than 17,000 radios will be provided for members of the force in Garda cars and other locations.