Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons convicted of gun crime in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7083/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that its records currently show there have been 269 individuals recorded who have a conviction for a headline offence which involved a firearm from 2002 to 2006.

Operation Anvil is central to the strategy of the Garda Síochána in combating serious crime and in particular murder. The Operation has proven to be very successful in disrupting the criminal activities of a number of key criminal gangs. It has resulted in a number of high-profile arrests and the acquisition of intelligence on the movements of criminals. Notable improvements have been achieved in combating the types of crime being targeted by the Operation. In particular, crime statistics for the fourth quarter of 2006 showed an increase of 34% in detections of possession of firearms which clearly contributed to the reduction of 3.4% in discharges of firearms. Operation Anvil also contributed to the increase in that quarter of detections of offences of possession of drugs for sale or supply which is closely associated with many murders using firearms.

The most recent figures available to me, up to 11 February, show the massive effect which Operation Anvil has been having since its inception in May 2005. In the Dublin Metropolitan Region there have been 7,488 arrests for serious crimes, comprising of 69 arrests for murder, 1,916 arrests for burglary, 880 arrests for robbery and 879 arrests for serious assaults. There have also been 1,793 arrests for theft offences. In addition 27,804 searches have been carried out, comprising 24,177 for drugs, 2,168 for thefts and 1,459 for firearms. Also 631 firearms have been seized and there have been 9,533 seizures under Section 41 of the Road Traffic Act. Over 49,900 checkpoints have been carried out and property to the value of €16.2m has been recovered.

Operation Anvil is, of course, only one element of the unprecedented resources being made available in the fight against crime.

A wide range of provisions to combat gun crime were introduced in the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. With effect from 1 November, 2006 mandatory minimum sentences, of between five and ten years, came into effect for certain firearms offences, including possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, possession of firearm with criminal intent, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, possession of a firearm while hijacking a vehicle, and use or production of a firearm to resist arrest.