David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will take this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who unfortunately cannot be here this afternoon and sends his apology. On his behalf and on my behalf I thank Senator Nash for raising this very important issue this afternoon. As the Minister for Justice and Equality outlined in his response to a Topical Issue debate on the matter last week in the Dáil, he is very much aware of the impact that the type of criminal activity that took place in Drogheda recently can have on a community. He understands the concerns being expressed by the people of Drogheda, and other areas of County Louth, and has asked me to assure the Senator that this type of criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.

It is important to note that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda divisions and that the Minister for Justice and Equality has no direct role in the matter. However, the Minister is advised that Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure the optimum use is made of these resources.

The Minister is advised by the Garda authorities that the strength of Lough division on 30 September 2018 was 331 of whom 12 are community gardaí. There are also 23 Garda reserves and 32 Garda civilian staff attached to the division. When appropriate, the work of local gardaí is supported, as the Senator pointed out, by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the armed support units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The Minister is further advised that An Garda Síochána is conducting investigations into the events that took place in Drogheda recently. As such, it would be inappropriate for me to comment while these investigations are ongoing.

The Minister is informed by An Garda Síochána that gardaí have put in place a policing operation to prevent, detect and mitigate against any further escalation of violence. In addition to cancelling all Garda leave in the Louth division for two weeks, the operation will entail high-visibility patrols supplemented by personnel from the regional armed support unit, community policing units, district detective and drug units and divisional roads policing unit. An Garda Síochána has further advised that it will continue to make every effort to disrupt the activities of any groups that may be involved in these incidents, arrest and prosecute offenders and deny access to the road networks for those involved.

On drug-related crime, An Garda Síochána remains resolute in its determination to act against those in society who pose a significant threat to the welfare and well-being of our citizens and the communities they serve. A core focus of the work carried out by An Garda Síochána is aimed at tackling drugs and organised crime. All gardaí have a responsibility in the prevention and detection of all forms of drug-related crime in this jurisdiction. The continued disruption of the supply of all illegal drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other State agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard. Liaison is also ongoing between An Garda Síochána and other relevant stakeholders, including the local authorities, Tusla and the HSE to name but a few.

As the Senator has raised this matter, the operation of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, is completely independent of the Government and the Minister, as it should be. The legislation and operation of such is under continuous review.