Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 919: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the concern of an association (details supplied) in Dublin 24 in relation to what they describe as the increasing drugs problem in their area; if he will provide extra resources to the Gardaí to deal with the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12267/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, policing operations and the deployment of Garda resources are matters for the Garda Commissioner. It is the responsibility of Garda management to allocate personnel within the Garda organisation on a priority basis in accordance with overall policing requirements. The area referred to is in Tallaght Garda District, which I am informed by the Garda authorities has a dedicated Drug Unit, consisting of one (1) Sergeant and ten (10) Gardaí, an increase of 20% on 2007 personnel resources.

I am further advised that the District Drug Unit is very active and runs local operations and initiatives targeting the sale and distribution of drugs within the District, assisted as required by the Garda National Drugs Unit. An increase in the number of drug seizures has been recorded in the District compared with the same period in 2007, including the number of detections of Simple Possession (Section 3, Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977/84) offences. Members of An Garda Síochána from Tallaght also give talks and participate in discussions at local schools and events organised by various residents' and other community-based groups, where advice on drug abuse is provided for parents and young people.

All members of An Garda Síochána are tasked with enforcing legislation, including drug-related legislation. They also participate in various continuous development programmes and other in-service training programmes, including those run by the Garda National Drugs Unit in the area of test purchasing. This facilitates the running of initiatives under Operation 'Cleanstreet' which targets on-street drug dealing within Tallaght Garda District. Finally, I am assured by the Garda authorities that personnel strengths are kept under regular review by local Garda management in conjunction with crime trends, including drug-related crime in the area and other demands on the Garda service.