Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the gardaí in Ashbourne on two successful raids. We learned from the assistant commissioner this morning that these drugs raids were worth not less €5 million. This seizure is a major disruption to the drug gangs and organised crime gangs in our country. It was a joint effort on the part of the national drugs and organised crime bureau and the special crime task force. I congratulate the gardaí and say to them to keep up the good work and the momentum. Unfortunately and disappointingly, I also learned yesterday from a constituency colleague, Councillor Dáithí de Róiste, who chairs Dublin City Council's joint policing committee, that 19 murders have been committed in the city so far this year. The figure is up 33% on this time last year, and only one of those murders was linked to the Hutch-Kinahan feud. I call on the Minister to ensure more resources are provided for the special crime task forces as well as the regular community gardaí. We have had many representations from both urban and rural councillors on the lack of visibility of gardaí on the ground. Having gardaí on bikes and in cars can be useful in preventing crime, especially burglaries around the city and in rural areas. I call on the Minister for Justice and Equality to attend the House today, or next week, to have a serious discussion on crime.