Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on whether the Gardaí are under resourced to deal with the problem of gun violence on our streets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43571/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am in ongoing contact with the Garda Commissioner about all aspects of serious crime and the Gardaí will continue to bear down heavily on the activities of those involved in armed and gangland crime. That is clear from the extent of the Garda operations launched against gangs as well as the many drug seizures that have taken place in recent months and weeks.

I should also mention the more recently released recorded crime statistics, which show that most categories of crime are in fact falling, which also reflects well on the work of An Garda Síochána. These figures showed that in the 12 month period to end June, murder had decreased by 8% and assault offences were down by 9.7%.

We should not underestimate the difficulties the Gardaí face in trying to prevent gangland killings and related crimes and in bringing the perpetrators to justice. These crimes are carefully planned and are carried out by people who are very familiar with criminal and forensic investigation techniques. Moreover, even where members of gangs are clearly at risk not only will they generally not cooperate with Gardaí but, in fact, they will do everything they can to avoid Garda attention.

Despite the difficulties which they encounter, we should remember that week in week out the Gardaí are successfully bringing people involved in gangland activities before the Courts, disrupting their activities, making seizures and securing convictions. Thanks to these operations a substantial number are presently serving sentences in prison.

It is misleading to characterise this as a question of resources. There has been gang and gun violence for some time in Ireland, and the number of murders was in fact higher when Garda numbers were higher than they are now. Despite the constraints on public finances, substantial Garda resources remain in place and these must be seen in the context of the programme of real reform which is being delivered in An Garda Síochána under the Croke Park Agreement. The Garda Commissioner and the members of the Force have my full support in continuing to confront gangland violence and criminality and in bringing those involved to justice.