Gerald Nash (Labour)
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Numbers-wise, the Drogheda area is being policed as if it were a small provincial town and not the sixth largest urban area in the country. At present, approximately 107 gardaí are situated in Drogheda Garda station with only one or two vehicles available at any given time. Units that should have 11 to 12 gardaí are down to five or six gardaí. This makes it very difficult to undertake normal policing work let alone to police, contain and manage an escalating drugs turf war that has seen dozens of violent incidents in recent weeks and at least three attempts on lives. Local gardaí, with the support of specialist national units, are working with their hands tied behind their backs.

The people of Drogheda need to be reassured that Garda numbers will drastically increase and those responsible for the mayhem being visited on areas of the town will be taken off the streets and locked up. In theory, we have very strong and robust anti-gang legislation as the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 allows for those directing organised crime to be taken off the streets, sent for trial to the non-jury Special Criminal Court and deprived of their liberty up to 15 years. The annual report on the operation of this Act published each summer shows that last year eight arrests were made under section 8 of the Act but not a single case of those suspected of being involved in directing organised crime was sent for trial. I am told that gardaí are anxious to use these powers but it is proving very difficult to convince the Director of Public Prosecutions to fully utilise them.

Decent people in the Moneymore area of Drogheda, which is really in the eye of this storm at present and which I have proudly represented for the past 20 years, are prisoners in their own homes and are wondering aloud as to why those responsible for this mayhem on the streets of Drogheda have yet to see the full rigours of the law rain down on them via the special powers available in legislation. Why does there appear to be reluctance on the authorities' behalf to fully utilise these significant powers and give the law-abiding people of Drogheda and other towns and cities the reassurance that they can live their lives in a normal straightforward way? The small number of people responsible for visiting mayhem on the streets of Drogheda need to be locked up and the full rigours of the law need to be targeted at them and their behaviour to ensure Drogheda is safe place in which to live, do business and raise a family. At present, far too many people in certain areas of Drogheda are under a self-imposed curfew because they feel they cannot go out in the streets after dark because of the fear at large in the community.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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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.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Nash may ask a brief supplementary question.

Gerald Nash (Labour)
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I would appreciate if I could get the view of the Minister on whether special powers need to be in improved or implemented in a different way. However, I thank the Minister of State for the response.

Many more gardaí need to be deployed to the Drogheda area to make sure that people feel safe. This is a time members of the public should support the work of the Garda. In this context, I was surprised to hear that a local Sinn Féin Deputy took to the airwaves last week to make some serious claims. The Deputy claimed that there is a perception that local gardaí are protecting certain players in the local drugs scene because they are of value to them as informers and that is done with what might be described as a nod and a wink. Drogheda is extremely tense at the moment and these serious accusations have made the situation considerably worse for the gardaí in the area. The local chief superintendent challenged those views on local radio earlier. He said that these kinds of uncorroborated claims have "tarnished every member of An Garda Síochána", which was an unprecedented slapdown. If anyone has any evidence whatsoever that points to any form of collusion, or the unlawful use of intelligence or its improper gathering, then there is an obligation, particularly an obligation on Oireachtas Members, to bring that information to either a senior member of An Garda Síochána to have that matter investigated or to take that information to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, to have those matters investigated.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator is well over time.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for his contribution. I assure him that I will bring his views and comments to the notice of the Minister.This type of criminal behaviour has no place in civilised society and will not be tolerated. An Garda Síochána has overcome similar challenges in the past and will do so again. Gardaí in Drogheda have put in place a policing operation to prevent, detect and mitigate against any further escalation of violence, which will entail a number of high visibility patrols. Every Member will wish them every success in their work.

The Government is firmly committed to supporting An Garda Síochána in ensuring that the organisation is appropriately resourced. The resources available to the Garda have reached unprecedented levels with the provision in 2018 of more than €1.6 billion, including an allocation of €96 million for overtime. Furthermore, tangible progress is being made on achieving the Government's vision of an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021. Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014 almost 2,200 recruits have attested as members, of whom 35 have been allocated to the Drogheda district and assigned to mainstream duties. This and ongoing recruitment will clearly provide a significant amount of additional policing hours throughout the country both in terms of the increased number of new gardaí and the redeployment of gardaí to policing duties due to civilianisation. Over a period of time this is expected to alleviate pressure on the Garda overtime budget. It is also the case that the unprecedented investment being made in the ICT infrastructure of €342 million between 2016 and 2021 will enable An Garda Síochána to deliver on reform, work more efficiently and deploy the latest cutting-edge technologies in delivering professional policing and security services.

I agree with the Senator and I take this opportunity to reiterate that if anybody has any information about incidents, he or she should contact the local Garda station or ring the Garda confidential line at 1800 666 111 as soon as possible. Any information, no matter how small, could be of great assistance to the ongoing Garda inquiries. In addition, as the Senator said, GSOC is also there for certain types of information and complaints.