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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 63 together.

I am fully committed to helping to significantly reduce the harms caused to families and communities by illicit drug use. While my colleague the Minister for Health leads on policy on drug addiction and recovery, I recognise that these areas are complex and there is a clear interface between the work of An Garda Síochána and health and social services in this area.

The three main policy objectives my Department are seeking to achieve in this area are:

• tackling organised crime;
• minimising the harms caused to those with addiction issues; and
• diverting people from involvement in crime and illicit drug-related activity.

The stark reality of drug use in Ireland today means this work is a high priority for my Department.

We have a particular focus on targeting the work of organised crime groups, which inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, while grooming and coercing vulnerable young people into drug-related criminal activity.

In May, alongside my colleague Minister Murnane O’Connor, I launched the DRIVE (Drug related intimidation & violence engagement) project. DRIVE is an interagency project which outlines systems and structures to respond to drug-related intimidation and associated violence. It focuses on responding to incidents, supporting those affected, and preventing future occurrences.

DRIVE promotes interagency collaboration by bringing together law enforcement, health services, social services, and community organisations to tackle Drug Related Intimidation from multiple perspectives. It operates on a national scale across Ireland, ensuring consistent and comprehensive support in all regions.

There are over 400 publicly funded drug services, including family support services, across the country which can advise and support people affected by Drug Related Intimidation. Family support services are critical because drug-related violence nearly always becomes an issue for the whole family. There is a comprehensive national network of family support services to which people can turn. More information can be found online on the Driveproject.ie website.

The Garda Commissioner has also tasked an Inspector in every Garda Division with responding to the issue of drug-related intimidation. The Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme has been developed to respond to the needs of those experiencing drug related intimidation, along with their families.

An Garda Síochána have legislative powers available to them to tackle the issue of drug related intimidation. These include, but are not limited to:

• Coercion pursuant to section 9 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997,
• Harassment pursuant to section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997,
• Blackmail, extortion and demanding money with menaces pursuant to section 17 Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 and;
• Section 15 Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977, as amended.

An Garda Síochána continue 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 our communities, and prosecuting those involved at every level, through Operation Tara.

In particular, Operation Fógra, as part of Operation Tara, was launched by An Garda Síochána specifically to combat drug related intimidation in the Dublin Metropolitan Region with a view to increasing front-line awareness of this corrosive issue, whilst also supporting communities and enhancing collaboration.

The operation has two underpinning pillars:

• A harm reduction, victim-centred approach; and
• Information-enabled policing informing operational responses.

As part of ongoing investigations into organised crime and drug-related intimidation under Operation Fogra, Gardaí from the DMR North Division conducted a number of searches under warrant in North Dublin earlier this month which led to a number of arrests and seizures of weapons, cash and drugs.

More broadly, the Programme for Government commits to a health-led approach to drug addiction and to divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services. The Department of Health together with my Department, the Health Service Executive and An Garda Síochána, are finalising a Health Diversion Scheme. The Scheme will provide a comprehensive health-led response to possession for personal use, connecting participants with health services and providing a pathway to treatment and recovery where there is problematic drug use.