Fiona O'Malley (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the opportunity to speak about gangland crime. As previous speakers have mentioned, I do not think gangland crime is an appropriate term, it is organised crime.

It is never a good idea to single out one event that led to changes where we decided people deserve better protection from these thugs but I agree with Senator Norris that the reaction of Roy Collins's father on the death of his son was extraordinary. His courage and dignity were remarkable and we must protect such people. In spite of the loss of his son in such brutal circumstances he still insisted he had done the right thing and would not make any changes. It is incumbent on the authorities and the State to protect individuals who show courage like that. Their immense bravery should be supported.

Society will fall apart completely if we allow these thugs to parade around Limerick city and other areas. In news reports after that incident it was clear that the good people of Limerick have had enough so we must introduce changes and I welcome those the Minister is bringing forward, particularly in terms of surveillance measures to counter these people. They are a threat to society and the State and have the potential to cause communities to rot.

Thankfully most Members and officials of the Houses are not subject to the level of intimidation that some people must bear on a daily basis. In my constituency in Dún Laoghaire we frequently dealt with constituents' complaints of anti-social behaviour from lively kids or cars but there was never anything like what some communities are subjected to in terms of violence, drugs and guns. The power of these people to intimidate their communities through their swagger is most destructive. Gardaí are even reluctant to get involved sometimes so I welcome the new measures that will allow the State authorities to operate effectively against these criminals.

We must get real. I am a proud liberal but while basic human rights must be offered to every citizen, if that means we must have draconian measures in place, so be it. We have a good history in the use of laws and legislation when the State was under threat from paramilitary subversives. We have used and employed such legislation to good effect. When the Oireachtas and the Government concentrate, good legislation that protects the people is enacted. We have a good record in the area and we must employ all necessary tools to curtail the prevalence of gangland crime.

Senator Norris referred to peace in Northern Ireland and the idea that these thugs would be idle and would want to control areas through drugs and violence. It was noted that they would probably come down to the South to ply their trade. That is what they did. The Garda is aware that many paramilitaries got themselves involved in territorial battles, particularly in Dublin, whereby they own crime areas or control the supply of drugs to areas. That has had a detrimental effect. As Senator Norris pointed out, that might be why the level of organised crime really took off in the South.

I am glad the Minister is applying himself to introducing draconian measures to ensure that good, ordinary citizens are protected. The intimidation of witnesses is a particular problem and the Minister is introducing measures to safeguard the conduct of trials. If jurors are going to be intimidated and interfered with, we must dispense with the need for them. That worked successfully previously. We must be firm about this because these criminals must be tackled head-on if we are to be successful against them.

Senator Regan did not give gardaí much credit for the level of success they have achieved. That is somewhat unfair. I recall hearing a senior member of the Garda discussing the level of drug seizures. He said that gang members would pay a price as a consequence of these successes and, indeed, many of these gang members were murdered. That is why the incidence of murder has increased so much. The internecine strife between these gangs is such that if one is responsible or perceived to be responsible for having tipped off the Garda or having led the Garda to intercepting the delivery of a drug shipment, the price to be paid is one's life. It is a vicious community and must be shown up for what it is.

It is a worry that with increased unemployment, youngsters might be persuaded, due to the large amounts of money involved, to become involved in gang culture. One of the major weapons we have against that culture is very harsh laws. They must be applied rigorously to try to stop this conduct. However, many preventive measures can also be introduced in communities that are ravaged by drugs to help move people away from the gang culture. I look forward to discussing that in more detail when the legislation proposed by the Minister is before the House.