Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and the Bill's proposals as set out in the legislation. Given what the Garda Commissioner said at the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality in respect of criminal gangs in Ireland, of which there are 25, there is a huge issue at international level as they are obviously transgressing borders. He mentioned communications and contacts with the Russian mafia and African crime gangs, and communications in the Middle East with established gangs. Therefore, it is imperative for Ireland, as a small island on the periphery of Europe, to be involved in Europol and Interpol and in getting as much international support as possible.

I had a question for the Minister who has left the House. He mentioned a liaison officer who need not necessarily be a member of the Garda Síochána but could be a person from the Revenue Commissioners. Would it be possible for an officer of the PSNI to be a liaison officer and, if not, why?

There were a series of major drug confiscations off the coastline of west Cork, the region where I am lucky to live. One of these confiscations involved a huge consignment of drugs found in Dunlough Bay off the Mizen Peninsula. A number of members of that gang are serving long-term prison sentences. The second was a yacht with a consignment of cocaine from South America which was brought, almost at sinking point, into Castletownbere.

In the Dunlough Bay incident, although many people claimed credit for it, the fact is the criminals involved were out at dawn of day and left my home village of Kilcrohane having put diesel into a petrol engine. Had that not happened, as sure as night follows day, they would have headed off to London with their huge consignment of drugs. I made the point at meetings of Cork County Council many years ago that west Cork was, and still is, a gateway for huge consignments of drugs coming through this country, not necessarily for the Irish market. That is where the Bill, Interpol and international co-operation can be successful.

In the second incident, where the consignment of drugs came in by yacht to Castletownbere, having been monitored from 50 miles out to sea by the Irish Naval Service, an eye in the sky, so to speak, in some part of Spain or Portugal, was able to track the yacht and, through communication, transmit its precise location from when it left South America all the way to Irish waters. That proves how international co-operation prevented a major consignment of drugs getting to our shores. Irrespective of whether it was the intention to land them in Ireland or the UK, we must be ever vigilant and alert in that regard. Cigarette smuggling is another area where co-operation can help as well as in the areas of human trafficking, prostitution and so on.

To return to the Dunlough Bay consignment of drugs, it is ironic that three of the culprits who are serving long-term prison sentences in Portlaoise Prison were detected, caught and arrested by local gardaí. Unfortunately, the Garda station at Goleen has since closed and Ballydehob Garda station is basically unmanned. I think the Garda Commissioner told the joint committee last week there was no economic consideration on savings - or, if so, it was trivial - in the closure of rural Garda stations. One of the gardaí who was in plain clothes got a tip-off from a farmer. Were it not for vigilance, an hour later they would have slipped through the net and would have been gone. The closure of rural Garda stations has a negative impact on rural communities.

There is concern in regard to the whole area of policing. It may not be fair to lob these grenades at the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, as it was the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, I was planning to ambush, but he has taken leave. There is concern about the issue of Garda numbers.

Even though the Garda Commissioner would not admit it, reading between the lines, he is concerned about lack of resources. He is also concerned that the Garda training unit in Templemore has been shut down for the time being and there will be a terrible deficit in two or three years' time. With gardaí retiring, the numbers will decline below the famous 13,000 figure which is of grave concern to us.

I recently heard that a new consignment of Garda vehicles was being purchased. Rather than sending a Garda vehicle from Bandon, Bantry or Clonakilty out to the Mizen when an incident such as the one I mentioned occurs, it is preferable to have the local knowledge of the local garda, working and living in the community. When someone rings him he knows exactly where to go to make the arrest. The three lads concerned were mingling among a herd of dairy cows west of Schull. The farmer became concerned and rang the local garda, who knew exactly where to find them. They had travelled several miles and were wet. They had resisted arrest for some days and were it not for that sort of local knowledge and local effort, these three men, all of whom are serving sentences in excess of 20 years, could have easily escaped from the jurisdiction. They could have got onto a ferry and slipped away unknown. Local gardaí in their own communities, knowing the local terrain, have a very valuable contribution to make to policing.

As part of a delegation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, I recently went to Finland and Sweden. Based on my experience of travelling and meeting ministers for justice and senior police officers, the world seems to be becoming a smaller place. It is essential to have international co-operation not just within Europe, but also beyond. While I support the entire thrust of the Bill, my remarks are in criticism of the Minister on other issues. We need to have complete co-operation with other international police agencies in Europe and beyond. It is well known that bulk of the smuggled cigarettes are coming from eastern Europe and Russia. It has been said that less than 10% of the illegal cigarettes available for sale in this country have been captured. While the Garda Commissioner could not confirm or deny this to us when we questioned him, it is well known that a substantial proportion of the illicit drugs coming into the country go undetected. While I do not know how accurate these figures are, I understand that 80% of the drugs that come into Ireland are not detected, which is frightening when we consider some of the big hauls that have been captured. It is a tough battle to stay on top of the 25 criminal gangs operating in places like Cork, Sligo, Limerick, Dublin and other centres. It is frightening to think that they have the capacity to do business thousands of miles away. In order to keep on top of these criminals, it is important that we have co-operation with Interpol and this new Europol.

This legislation will copper fasten something that is in place already. It is important legislation. I apologise to the Minister of State for lobbing a few grenades in her direction. They were targeted at the senior Minister, who, I am sure, would love to return and address the fears I have about rural Garda stations, garda numbers falling and a lack of resources. I might have a chance to do that another day. The Minister of State should not take it personally - it was intended for the senior Minister, who, I presume, knew I was going to launch an attack and slipped away.