David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am putting on to the record of the House what the Chief Constable of the PSNI has said. The PSNI is the police force in the North. This is what he said. He said, "I accept the bona fides of the Sinn Féin leadership regarding their rejection of violence and pursuit of the peace process and I accept their assurance that they want to support police in bringing those responsible to justice," when he talked about the murder of Kevin McGuigan. He also said, when talking about a group called Action Against Drugs, which has been linked to this murder:

I want to comment on the connection, or lack of connection between the [Provisional IRA] and the group calling itself 'Action Against Drugs'. Action Against Drugs has emerged from within the Republican community from a range of backgrounds. Some are former members of the Provisional IRA, but others have [a violent dissident republican background] ... and others [come] from a pure organised crime background. This group is intent on taking action against what it perceives as anti-social elements in Belfast but this is done in pursuit of their own criminal agenda. They are little more than an organised crime group in my view and we assess that Action Against Drugs is an independent [body] ... that is not part of, or a cover name for the Provisional IRA.

It is clear what the Chief Constable says. I do not know if the Minister of State has evidence to the contrary. I do not know whether the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, or the Garda Commissioner have a different view. Many comments that have been made by some of the Senators here are exactly the type of comments that are seized upon by some politicians in the North to try to bring down the peace process and political institutions. Sinn Féin has been absolutely clear and unambiguous on criminality. We have been absolutely clear and unambiguous on the killing of Jock Davison and Kevin McGuigan. Martin McGuinness, who I believe has given incredible leadership, has said that those responsible are murderers and criminals and should be brought to justice. If anybody gave me information about any of those killings, I would bring that information forward to the PSNI. There are crime bosses and crime gangs in this State too. I wonder what the Government has done about all of those crime gangs which also operate with impunity in Dublin and elsewhere. I condemn criminality north, south, east and west.