Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, is a top priority for my Department.

As Minister I want to ensure that people can live in communities which are safe and also where they feel safe.

In the first instance I would say that anyone who is concerned for their safety should contact An Garda Síochána either through their local Garda station or through the Garda confidential line.

Unprecedented funding has been provided to An Garda Síochána which has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime. An Garda Síochána continues to target those involved in street-level drug dealing across the country and also focuses on disrupting and dismantling the drug trafficking networks that impact on our communities and prosecuting those involved at every level through Operation Tara.

A number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle violent crime. This includes:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime;
• Enacting new laws to criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime;
• Drafting new laws which will provide for the use of facial recognition technology in the investigation of certain drug offences;
• Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.

I would also add that An Garda Síochána operate the ‘Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme’, which has been developed to respond to the needs of people and family members experiencing drug-related intimidation. The Garda Commissioner has selected a Garda Inspector in every Garda Division to respond to the issue of drug-related intimidation. An Garda Síochána, in dealing with any complaint of drug-related intimidation, will do so with the utmost care in order to afford the person or family, subject to the threat, the best level of security, advice and support which can be offered.

We know we cannot solely police our way out of these situations though and that the best way to tackle the safety issues that communities are facing is through the Gardaí and other state services partnering with the community to implement tailored solutions. The Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), which will operate at each local authority level, are building upon the good work undertaken through Joint Policing Committees (JPCs).

The objective of the partnerships is to bring the relevant bodies, including the Gardaí, together with communities in a collaborative manner, by focusing on the concerns identified and prioritised by local people. Each newly established LCSP will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan and will take a strategic approach to their work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a coordinated manner and addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the community.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which is due to commence shortly, also provides for area-based neighbourhood community safety fora to facilitate a tailored, targeted and time-limited approach where issues of concern are arising in a more localised area.

In addition, the Community Safety Fund was established by my Department in 2021 to reinvest the proceeds of crime back into communities through local safety projects aimed at building stronger, safer communities. In Budget 2025, the allocation to the CSF increased to €4 million, a doubling of its initial budget of €2 million in 2022 when the fund was established.

Some of the themes focused on in recent years by successful applicants include projects aimed at addressing anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, drug-related intimidation, safety on public transport, social exclusion, youth programs, prison post-release support and more.