Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

This is a very important debate on the subject of gun crime. Crime of any description, especially murder, is deplorable. The catalyst for this debate was the unfortunate murder of Mr. O'Kane in East Wall.

I live in a very peaceful location in the Mizen peninsula and at this time of Christmas I always ponder the appalling, high profile murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier which occurred half a mile from my home in a peaceful and quiet location. This murder remains unsolved. Everyone in that peninsula remembers that appalling murder at Christmas 12 years ago. I hope that sometime in the near future this murder can be solved and the perpetrator of that appalling, dastardly, cowardly crime will be found. This was a woman enjoying her holiday home peacefully at Christmas and she was brutally battered to death outside her home. My thoughts are with the French family as the event will never be forgotten by those close to her. I had the opportunity on one occasion to meet that stunning and wonderful lady.

I commend the Minister on his wonderful work as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The statistics show that we are winning the battle against crime. We will never have a Utopian situation with no murders and no guns on the streets but we are winning the battle as proved by the statistics referred to by the Minister.

Crime statistics for the third quarter of 2008 show a decrease in homicide offences of 57%. Decreases were also recorded in murder offences, which were down 50%, and dangerous driving leading to death, which was down 85%, with no change in the case of manslaughter offences. These statistics are a clear indication that the policies and the draconian and powerful legislation introduced by this Government and the previous Government over the past ten or 11 years, are working. I was a Member of the Dáil from 2002 to 2007 and we were being accused from some quarters of bringing in legislation that was too extreme and draconian. That legislation is now bearing fruit in that there has been a decrease in crime. I would be the first to say that any murder of any description is appalling.

I welcome the proposed legislation to curb the use of handguns and to restrict their licensing. Unless one is a farmer trying to protect stock against marauding dogs or foxes, I do not see the reason for people holding handguns. The remarks made by Mr. Justice Charleton are to be welcomed. It is good that senior judges, District Court judges, Members of the Oireachtas or even persons in society who are aware of an issue can offer their comments which are positive and constructive.

The legislation will make it more difficult to obtain bail for drugs trafficking and firearms offences. The Government has approved proposals by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to introduce new legislation underpinning the use of covert surveillance methods by the Garda Síochána. On that point, does the Minister of State envisage that other agencies will be given such powers, such as Customs and Excise when dealing with drugs crimes? Under this legislation the State will be able to use collateral material obtained by means of covert surveillance as evidence to support or strengthen the case for the prosecution. I expect this legislation will be strongly challenged in the courts and on constitutional grounds.

We must be proactive at all times in bringing in legislation because crime is now very sophisticated. Some of these criminal gangs have the best equipment available. A young garda told me recently that gardaí are now being trained to use types of weaponry that the criminal mobsters have been using for the past five to seven years. It is like playing catch-up but I am glad we are succeeding. I commend the Minister and the Government on the fact that at the beginning of 2009, we will reach that magnificent target of having 15,000 gardaí on the streets, something that could not have been envisaged ten years ago. This is to be welcomed. Many of the current gardaí are better trained. The new recruits from Templemore are more intelligent and sophisticated and a very bright bunch of gardaí. I acknowledge the tremendous work of the Garda. One can imagine what Dublin city or any part of Ireland would be like if gardaí were not on patrol. I compliment the Minister and his predecessor on Operation Anvil. It is very comforting to us that more than 2,000 guns have been taken off the streets having been confiscated by gardaí in raids, whether in Limerick, Cork or in Dublin. I hope this continues. The Garda Síochána is very proactive.

I see the fight against crime as needing a three-pronged approach. The Minister leads with his responsibility for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda Síochána is the second prong operating on the ground and the third prong is society, something that is overlooked. Society can sometimes become complacent. The Minister made a valid point in his speech. One must take away the reason for the existence of drug lords. Some people we know are users of drugs. There may be a decrease in the use of drugs because of the recession, please God, and a decline in the use of cocaine at parties or in clubs by these sophisticated people. I refer not to the impoverished people who are addicts and who are lying in the streets but rather to the well-heeled members of society who use drugs. If society actively accepts in any way that we can and should use drugs, the mobsters, warlords and drug lords will prosper as it will be a stimulus to their activities. We cannot ignore the role of society in the area of drugs.

The use and importation of drugs brings with them the use of various types of sophisticated weapons such as Glock pistols. I commend the Minister and the Department and all concerned. In the past 12 to 15 months, there have been two significant hauls of drugs which may not necessarily have been destined for Ireland but rather for Europe. One recent haul was in Castletownbere, which case is sub judice, and the other was the famous haul off the Mizen peninsula. The amount of drugs was alarmingly high. We are talking not about grams but tonnes of cocaine destined for either the London market or the European market.

Once society becomes more responsible and stops using drugs, the work and success of the Garda Síochána, the Department and the Minister will be more obvious.