Vol. 501 No. 3
157 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Defence the number of occasions per year Naval Service personnel have used their powers as enforcement officers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, since this power was delegated to them; and the results in this regard. [6118/99]
In 1995 the Government decided on a range of measures to improve law enforcement in relation to the illegal importation of drugs. These measures included, inter alia, the establishment of a joint task force involving the gardaí, the Customs Service and the Naval Service. The measures also included the designation of certain Naval personnel as enforcement officers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994. This statutory authority allows Naval Service personnel to board and detain vessels suspected of being involved in illegal drug trafficking, without the necessity of having a member of the Garda Síochána present. In practice however, this power has been operated to-date under the direction of the joint task force.
Since the formation of the aforementioned joint task force, the Naval Service has been involved in 19 drug interdiction missions. The prosecution of personnel involved in such activities is a matter for the gardaí.
