Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss a matter of importance to me as Minister. I want to be clear on a most fundamental point: public safety is at the heart of my role as Minister for Justice and Equality. My mandate and that of my Department is to work for a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland. Senators will appreciate the breadth of that mandate and its promise. We want to establish and support the conditions in which citizens and residents of Ireland, in all of our communities nationwide, can live, work and thrive in safety. This involves action at all levels. There is a busy programme of work in my Department to continue to deliver on that mandate. This afternoon, Senators have specifically raised the issue of violent crime in the Coolock area and Dublin more generally. This is a most serious issue. I will address the concrete steps being taken in that locality shortly. If we are to tackle and prevent violent crime, we must look at its roots and the conditions from which it emerges in a more in-depth way.

I share the concern Senators about the destructive impact which drugs and drug-related crime can have on communities. This is beyond doubt. This is not the first time we have had an opportunity to address these issues in the House. As on previous occasions, I commit to listening carefully to what Senators have to say on the issue. When we speak of drug-related crime, I suspect that most people's mental images are of organised crime gangs and the kind of extreme violence Senators raise on occasion. This is not a problem isolated to any one location. The unspoken reality is that this violent crime is in many cases driven by the market for, and increased consumption of, illegal drugs across society. This means that recreational drug use by people who are living otherwise law-abiding lives contributes directly to the most serious forms of criminality. Wherever the purchase and use of illegal drugs occurs in Ireland, whether it is in cities, towns and villages, it contributes to an environment in which organised crime groups see a profit to be made and are given an opening to extend their reach and entrap others in their destructive cycle of debt and violence. I call on Senators to join me in urging those who engage in recreational use of illegal drugs to exercise their personal responsibility to consider the wider consequences of their actions. Those violent consequences may not be visible in their own localities, but they are very real in other areas.

Senators will be aware that Government policy on drug and alcohol misuse is set out in the National Drugs Strategy 2017-2025, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. This represents a whole-of-Government response to the problem and adopts a balanced and health-led approach aiming to reduce demand for as well as access to illegal drugs. Senators will be aware of the Government's initiative aimed at reducing the number of people criminalised for the possession of drugs for personal use. However, I want to be clear that tackling the sale and supply of drugs is a key priority for the Government and for An Garda Síochána. We will continue to ensure that there is a relentless pursuit of drug dealers and members of organised crime gangs. The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. Since it was set up in March 2015, the bureau has had significant successes, including the seizure of controlled substances with an estimated street value of €167 million; the seizure of cash believed to be the proceeds of crime to the value of €10 million; and the seizure of 108 firearms and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition. This year alone, the Garda bureau has been responsible for seizing and controlling substances to the value of €20 million, cash believed to be the proceeds of crime to the value of €2.4 million, and 17 firearms. A large number of seizures and arrests continue to be made. An Garda Síochána is actively engaged on these matters at an international level, including through Interpol and Europol. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I engaged at EU level with my counterparts and with representatives of Interpol and Europol to ensure that we continue to have opportunities to share best international practice in this area.

There is also significant activity at local level aimed at supporting various preventative and detection initiatives. These include engagement with local and regional drug and alcohol task forces, the Garda youth diversion programme project, the Garda schools programme, the joint policing committees and the community policing fora. I am pleased that during the autumn and winter the Garda Commissioner and his senior management team are availing of an opportunity to visit and participate in joint policing committees, JPCs, at local level throughout the country.

Debt and debt intimidation are also receiving focused attention. The drug-related intimidation reporting programme developed by An Garda and the National Family Support Network has been in place since 2013 to respond to the needs of drug users and family members experiencing drug-related intimidation. Ireland's national drug strategy is unique among the national drug strategies of EU member states in recognising the need to address drug-related debt intimidation at community and local level. It has been agreed that the effectiveness of this programme will be further enhanced through training, knowledge-sharing and awareness-raising. The use of detection dogs is another area that has had a positive impact in tackling drug crimes in recent times. As Senators may know, the Garda dog unit, based in Kilmainham Garda station in the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, south central division, has a national remit, with additional dog units established in Limerick and Cork.The Garda Commissioner recently indicated to me that he intends for An Garda Síochána to invest in purchasing and training additional dogs for drug use detention purposes next year.

I refer specifically to Coolock, which has been raised by some Senators. I acknowledge the interest in this area by my colleague, Senator Noone, and Senator Ó Ríordáin. Ihave condemned the shooting in the Coolock area, which has been referred to in both Houses I will not comment on any individual criminal investigation but I, again, call on everybody to pass on any information, however innocuous they feel it might be, to An Garda Síochána. I heard directly from community groups in the area during a visit earlier this year. I met representatives of various community groups and witnessed, at first hand, the initiatives under way in Coolock, Darndale and Clongriffin. I met local school principals, gardaí and local residents. I understand and appreciate the concerns, and I acknowledge some constructive suggestions that have been put forward. I speak on a daily basis to my colleague, Minister Richard Bruton, and to the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, about issues of concern to them and to communities in that area. I reassure the community that the issue of violent crime in their area is being taken most seriously at the highest levels of both An Garda Síochána and the Government.

On Tuesday night, both the Taoiseach and myself had a meeting with the Garda Commissioner and members of his senior management team in respect of recent incidents in the Coolock area. We discussed the ongoing response by An Garda Síochána. We were reassured about the co-ordinated response being mounted by the Garda, encompassing action on community safety, intelligence, drugs and organised crime. I also previously had the opportunity to meet senior members from An Garda Síochána in Coolock. I was briefed on progress made in the various investigations that are currently under way, some of which are at an advanced stage of investigation and detection. Significant resources are being put into this effort.

Coolock is located in the DMR northern division. The Garda workforce number has increased significantly in that division in recent years, as well as in Coolock itself, with the benefit of record Government funding. Garda numbers in the DMR northern division have increased from a total of 668 gardaí and 44 staff at the end of 2015 to a total of 741 gardaí and 61 staff at the end of October 2019. This represents more than a 10% increase in Garda numbers as well as a 38% increase in Garda staff over the period, which frees up experienced gardaí who can be redeployed to operational policing duties. Taken together, this represents a real and tangible increase in operational policing hours within the DMR northern division. In Coolock station, too, the workforce number has increased. The numbers have increased from 103 gardaí and 11 staff in December 2015 to a total of 117 gardaí and 16 staff at the end of October 2019, and these numbers continue to increase.

In recent times, the Commissioner allocated 13 additional gardaí to the DMR northern division from last week's attestation, of which six gardaí have been assigned directly to Coolock. I had the opportunity of meeting some of the gardaí who have been assigned to Coolock. When I asked them on Friday what kind of time off they would have after their attestation and graduation, they informed me that they were looking forward to being on duty in Coolock on Monday morning last, and they were. I acknowledge that and I acknowledge the work that they are doing already in that area.

I am pleased that the Commissioner has informed me that competitions are being held for key appointments to both the Coolock community policing unit and the Coolock district drugs unit. It is envisaged that these competitions will be complete before the end of year, which is in a few weeks.

As is the case for all stations and divisions, the work of local gardaí in Coolock and DMR north as a whole is supported, where necessary, by 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 sustained increase in resources in the area demonstrates the commitment of Garda management to this area. It is important that we are reminded that, by law, the use of Garda resources, including the deployment of personnel, is for the Garda Commissioner and not for me, as Minister for justice. This is entirely appropriate as decisions on operational matters must be left to policing experts. I acknowledge, that although I discuss the issue on a regular basis, with the Garda Commissioner and his team. I reassure Senators and communities that the Government fully supports An Garda Síochána in its work to tackle organised and drug-related crime in Coolock, in Dublin and throughout the country. The Garda budget for this year was €1.76 billion and this will increase to €1.88 billion in 2020. Alongside that, capital investment this year was €92 million. That is a 50% increase on the total for 2018, and it will increase further to €116.5 million for next year. There are currently approximately 14,300 gardaí nationwide supported by more than 2,600 Garda staff. These numbers continue to increase towards the Government's target of an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021, comprising 15,000 sworn Garda members, 4,000 civilian staff and 2,000 members of An Garda Reserve. These are big numbers because I know that a visible policing presence reassures communities. Proactive policing and a visible Garda presence throughout the country can be expected to increase further as the new Garda operating model is rolled out across the country.

I want to say categorically that the full force of the law-----