Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:"notes:

- that tackling organised crime is a key priority for the Government and An Garda Síochána;

- that An Garda Síochána has the necessary resources, intelligence and determination to successfully combat organised criminal activity in the State;

- that An Garda Síochána is carefully monitoring the activities of criminal groups, and is implementing strong policing measures to disrupt and dismantle all organised crime networks;

- that multi-disciplinary approaches are used by An Garda Síochána to ensure the activities of individuals and groups involved in criminality are effectively targeted and that such approaches include the use of money-laundering legislation and focused intelligence-led operations by Garda specialist units, including the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the National Economic Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, with support as required from the Security and Intelligence section and close cooperation with the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB);

- the ongoing cooperation between An Garda Síochána and other law enforcement agencies on this island and in other jurisdictions in the fight against organised crime;

- the work of the Joint Agency Task Force, which is a multi-agency coordination structure, in tackling organised and cross-jurisdictional crime;

- that the latest crime statistics released by the Central Statistics Office show that there was a decrease of over 40% in the number of recorded homicide incidents in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018;

- that since the Regency Hotel incident in 2016, An Garda Síochána believe that their intelligence-led approach to policing has saved at least 64 lives, in operations resulting in more than 651 arrests, seizures of over 100 firearms as well as 3,300 rounds of ammunition and €9.8 million in cash;

- that Garda activity to tackle burglary and property-related crime has, up to May 2019, led to approximately 10,000 arrests and over 11,500 criminal charges, covering offences including burglary, handling stolen property, possession of firearms and drugs offences;

- that in 2018 CAB brought 30 new Proceeds of Crime proceedings before the High Court, up from 28 in 2017 and 13 in 2016, and that this is the largest number of new cases ever commenced by the Bureau in a single year;

- that the money returned to the State as a result of CAB actions was in excess of €5.6 million in 2018, up from €4.3 million in 2017 and €3.8 million in 2016;

- that CAB is supported in its work by a nationwide network of about 400 trained Asset Profilers who work hand-in-hand with local Garda Management and communities towards the objective of identifying suspected criminally derived wealth and denying and depriving criminals of assets;

- the ongoing and close cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in the investigation of the abduction and vicious assault perpetrated on Kevin Lunney, Chief Operating Officer at Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH);

- that QIH is a major employer in the area and it is abundantly clear that the criminals who carried out the attack against Kevin Lunney are not supported by communities in the region;

- that in response to previous incidents against employees and property of QIH, a joint Garda/PSNI operation was put in place, with a dedicated Senior Investigating Officer on both sides of the border assigned to deal with incidents as they arise;

- that a number of arrests have been made by Gardaí in relation to previous incidents relating to employees and property of QIH and that in some cases files have been forwarded to the DPP and while no charges have been directed at this time, investigations of these prior incidents are ongoing;

- the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to close engagement between An Garda Síochána and local communities;

recognises:

- the record investment in An Garda Síochána with €1.76 billion allocated to the Garda vote for 2019, as well as capital investment amounting to €92 million this year;

- that policing in the border region has always presented particular challenges that necessitate a collaborative approach to policing with law enforcement agencies north and south of the border;

- that there is close and ongoing cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI in respect of all aspects of policing not only in countering the ongoing threat posed by paramilitary groups, but also in combating organised crime;

- that the Joint Agency Task Force has made significant progress in tackling cross-border criminal activity across a range of crime areas, not just in the traditional smuggling activities, but also rural and farm crime, organised burglary and drug crime;

- the joint response by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI to the spate of ATM thefts this year on both sides of the border and both services’ recent success in securing arrests on foot of these crimes;

- that the recent passage of the Criminal Justice (International Co-Operation) Act 2019 will allow An Garda Síochána to participate in Joint Investigation Teams outside the State;

- that measures have been put in place by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI to mitigate the threat of further attacks against directors and employees of QIH;

- that recent intelligence-led operations have resulted in significant drugs seizures by An Garda Síochána, including a seizure of heroin with an estimated value of €1 million (subject to analysis) in Dublin and Meath on Sunday, 1st September, 2019 and that this seizure was part of a joint operation involving members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency;

- that major drug seizures represent a significant blow to criminal gangs and that the success of recent operations demonstrates the effectiveness of the various law enforcement bodies within this State working together with their international counterparts;

that the Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme, developed by An Garda Síochána and the National Family Support Network (NFSN), responds to the needs of drug users and family members experiencing drug-related intimidation;

- that Ireland's National Drug Strategy (NDS), Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery – A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025, is unique among national drugs strategies of EU Member States in recognising the need to address drug-related debt intimidation at a community level;

- the important work of local Joint Policing Committees (JPCs) in promoting community safety and acting as vital fora for exchanging information in the fight against local crime; and

supports:

- the work of the Joint Agency Task Force, led by senior officers from An Garda Síochána, the PSNI, the Revenue Commissioners and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and with the operational support of CAB and the National Crime Agency, which seeks to increase the effectiveness of operational law enforcement actions in tackling organised and cross-jurisdictional crime and enhance the safety of all communities on the island of Ireland;

- the increased Garda resources which have been allocated by the Garda Commissioner to the Louth Division and the Dublin Metropolitan Region as part of the strategy to address organised criminality arising from the supply of illegal drugs;

- the decision of the Garda Commissioner to base an Armed Support Unit in Cavan and the steps he has recently taken to make it operational;

- the Government's plans to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians;

- the Government's four-year, high-level plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, A Policing Service for the Future, which will help maintain and enhance more visible policing and greater community engagement, address current challenges and enable An Garda Síochána to meet future challenges;

- the emphasis in the Garda Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016 – 2021 on further developing and supporting the policing ethos of the organisation so that Gardaí spend more time in the community, gaining public confidence and trust and providing a greater sense of security;

- the rollout of the new operating model of An Garda Síochána, meeting a key commitment in A Policing Service for the Future, which will increase the number and visibility of front-line Gardaí and deliver a more localised service based on community needs;

- the joint Cross Border Policing Strategy, launched by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI in 2010 and renewed in 2016, which aims to improve public safety and disrupt criminal activity and enhance the policing capability of both police services on the island of Ireland;

- the key objectives of the National Rural Safety Forum, launched recently by the Minister, co-chaired by An Garda Síochána and the Irish Farmers Association, to provide community reassurance, to develop and utilize a nation-wide communications network for the distribution of crime prevention advice, to increase engagement within communities and to prevent crime and to reduce the opportunity for crime;

- the commitment to a health-led response to drugs as contained in the Programme for a Partnership Government;

- the implementation of the whole-of-Government strategy to address drug and alcohol misuse, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, a health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025, and the active engagement with all stakeholders, especially at the community level;

- the Government's commitment to implement and report on progress on the 50 strategic actions in the National Drugs Strategy on an annual basis through the national oversight structures and to develop an evaluation framework for a mid-term review of the strategy in 2020;

- the Minister for Justice and Equality's intention to examine the possibility of introducing a specific offence of grooming children, through inducements such as the provision of drugs or by other means, for the commission of drug-related crime, with a view to combatting any potential exploitation of children by organised criminal groups.”

It is always good to debate these issues and have a discussion on them in the House. I welcome the Minister back to the House. He is a frequent visitor here, though we are now back in our old refurbished Chamber.

I acknowledge Senator O'Sullivan in particular. We all admire the way he has spoken out about addiction and the help he has given people who have found themselves in that situation. If we had more brave people like him, who are prepared to share their stories, society would be a better and far more understanding place for all the people who are struggling to live.