Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of arrests and seizures related to Operation Copóg in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15890/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Government is acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage that drug dealing has on communities across the country. Organised criminal activity, including drug dealing, represents a serious threat to community safety.

The continued disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other State agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard. A concerted effort has been made over the past two years to ensure that the detection and prevention of these types of criminal activity have not been adversely affected by the unprecedented demands placed on policing services by the vital enforcement of public health restrictions.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including Garda operations aimed at preventing and countering criminal activity, and the enforcement of legislation pertaining to illegal drugs. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that Operation Copóg commenced in March 2021 as a joint operation between An Garda Síochána and Limerick City & County Council to disrupt and target the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the St Mary’s Park area of Limerick city.

Additional resources were allocated to the Community Policing Unit in Mayorstone and dedicated solely to the St Mary’s Park area to provide a high visibility policing presence and reassurance to the community. These Community Policing members work closely with the Divisional Drugs Unit at Henry Street Garda Station, to target individuals who are involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs, with a particular focus on the sale of crack cocaine. Operation Copóg is supported by the Regional Dog Unit, District Crime units, Armed Support Unit and Regular Units.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána seized in excess of €2.8 million of controlled drugs in the period January – November 2021, the latest period for which information is available, and cash to the value of €331,740. In the same period in 2021, Gardaí in Limerick executed warrants pursuant to Section 26 Misuse of Drugs Acts and seized drugs including Cocaine, Cannabis Herb, Cannabis Plants, Cannabis Resin, Heroin and Tablets.

An Garda Síochána have provided the following information with reference to Operation Copóg during the period of March 2021 - March 2022:

The following incidents also relate to Operation Copóg:

- One incident of Violent Disorder was detected where three persons were arrested. Two of these people were subsequently charged on the direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

- Five persons were arrested in relation to recent significant drug seizures and questioned regarding their involvement in the sale/supply of controlled drugs in St. Mary’s Park.

- Three cases of money laundering were detected where a quantity of cash was seized believed to be the proceeds of drug dealing.

I would add that Operation Copóg is only one element of wider strategies to deal with organised criminal activity and drug supply in the Limerick Region. These strategies under Operation Tara and Operation Coronation, amongst others, aim to prevent the wholesale distribution of drugs and activities in the region by organised crime gangs.

Garda Management in Limerick are focused on targeting drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in all parts of Limerick. The significant successes to date across all the strategies that are in place are having a significant impact on the activities of organised crime gangs and An Garda Síochána is determined to continue to target this criminal activity and reduce the negative impact that illegal drugs have on so many lives and in our community.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí currently based in Tallaght station, Dublin 24; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16194/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and control of An Garda Síochána and for the effective and efficient use of Garda resources, including the deployment of An Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.

I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. I further understand that it is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.

Tallaght Garda Station, as of 28 February 2022, has 224 members assigned (189 Gardaí, 26 Sergeants, 8 Inspectors and 1 Superintendent). This is an increase of over 27% since the end of 2015, when there were 176 members assigned to the station.

I am pleased that Budget 2022 reflects the commitment of the Government to ensuring our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources to be an effective and trusted policing service. The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of over €2 billion in funding for this year.

This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Gardaí and a further 400 Garda staff. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe.

I am pleased to note the strong interest in the recent Garda recruitment campaign, with over 10,000 applications received.