Thank you Chairman. Good afternoon Deputies. As the Chairman outlined, there are five topics for discussion. I will deal with crime first.
On the international dimension of crime, the activities of organised crime groups are increasingly transnational. Sometimes they operate from one country, directing their business in another country and having a major impact on the crime situation in the countries concerned. The principal type of activity undertaken by organised crime groups are drugs trafficking, trafficking in human beings, smuggling goods, such as tobacco and fuel oils, counterfeiting and forgery and, finally, moneylaundering. As greed is the driving force behind most organised criminal activity, those involved do not confine themselves to any particular area of crime. The same groups are frequently involved in drugs trafficking, trafficking human beings and smuggling. They use the same tried and trusted routes and distribution networks for their products and engage in counterfeiting, forgery and moneylaundering to support their activities and dispose of their ill-gotten gains.
Ireland, like most other countries in Europe, is a victim of transnational organised criminal activity. Until relatively recently, organised crime in Ireland was driven by Irish nationals. This trend is changing with the influx of non-nationals, some of whom have close criminal links with organised crime groups in other jurisdictions. We also have Irish nationals living in places such as the south of Spain and the Netherlands, who have maintained links with criminal organisations in Ireland while building links with similar groups in their homes and further afield. The Garda Síochána, through its international contacts and its involvement in organisations such as Interpol, Europol and the various EU institutions, plays an active part in the fight against organised criminal activity at home and abroad.
The creation of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, Garda National Drugs Unit, Criminal Assets Bureau and the Garda Immigration Bureau, enable the Garda Síochána to tackle organised crime in areas of violent crime, fraud, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and moneylaundering in a structured and co-ordinated fashion. These units function on intelligence driven operations. They are also able to target and seize the proceeds of crime from which criminal groups draw their motivation and strength.
On drugs, cocaine and heroin are the two main areas of concern at present. A major international investigation targeting Irish, UK, Spanish and Colombian based criminal organisations involved in trafficking of cocaine and cannabis is ongoing and has resulted to date this year in two Irish nationals being charged by gardaí and over 37 kilograms of cocaine and 1,032 kilograms of cannabis being seized.
In another ongoing investigation targeting heroin trafficking by Irish, UK and Dutch criminal organisations, two persons have been sentenced to five years imprisonment each, while three more are currently awaiting trial. The Garda Síochána work closely with the Customs National Drugs Team in targeting the activity of suspected drugs traffickers. Earlier this year heroin with an estimated street value of €2 million was seized and four individuals, one from Ireland, one from Spain and two from the United Kingdom, are currently before the courts.
During the first six months of this year, more than 72 kilograms of cocaine have been seized compared to just 32 kilograms during the whole of the year 2002. During the same period, more than 22 kilos of heroin were seized compared to 26 kilos during 2002.
On the issue of crime overall, as the committee will already be aware from figures published in July by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, headline offences statistics in respect of the first six months of 2003 show an overall decrease of 7%, or 4,039 incidents, in comparison to the same period of 2002. Violent incidents of assault and robbery show a downward trend. The greatest decrease was noted in the number of assaults causing harm, which was down by 828. It is worth noting that Irish crime trends tend to mirror closely trends in the UK. This is particularly evident in the areas of public order and violent crime which have experienced notable increases in both jurisdictions in recent times.
During the first six months of this year, violent crime accounted for less than 11% of the total headline crime. This compares to over 12% during the same period of 2002, a reduction of almost 1,500 violent incidents. In England and Wales during the 2002-03 accounting year, violent crime accounted for 17% of police recorded crime.
On homicide, during the year of 2002, there has been a total of 59 homicides in this country, which can be broken down further into 52 murders and 7 cases of manslaughter. Of these, 49 were detected. In 2001, there were 58 homicides, which were further divided into 52 murders and six cases of manslaughter, of which 51 were detected. To date this year, there have been 42 homicides, which can be broken down into 39 murders and three instances of manslaughter. Of these, 24 have been detected. A number of current year killings are under active investigation. Suspects have been identified and the prospect of criminal prosecution seems positive.
I am concerned at the number of homicides and other instances involving the use of firearms. Of the 42 deaths this year, 19 involved the use of firearms. This compares to ten in the year 2002 and nine in the year 2001. There are a number of factors which explain this increase. Some former paramilitary weapons have found their way into the hands of criminal organisations and this has contributed to the general increase in the use of firearms in recent times, in particular in so-called gangland style murders and shootings. There have also been cases where former paramilitaries have turned to crime. Criminal gangs are also known to import firearms with their consignments of drugs and cigarettes and so on.
In Limerick city and its environs, many lives have been needlessly lost in recent times. A very substantial effort has been made to readdress this situation. No resources are being spared in this effort. Current indications are that these are meeting with some success. Likewise in Dublin, a number of murders have taken place recently involving the use of firearms. Major investigations are currently ongoing and suspects have been identified and in some cases charged. Other investigations are progressing satisfactorily.
On the preventative side, two specific operations have been established over the past four weeks. Operation Lance was established to counter proliferation of incidents involving the use of firearms and to prevent serious crime in the Dublin region. A team of gardaí under the direction and control of a detective superintendent have been assigned to the operation. Already some success has been achieved. A number of people are currently before the courts. As a result of the increased use of firearms and crime generally in the Finglas area of Dublin, Operation Crossover was put into effect in September. Dedicated Garda resources have been deployed in the area to counter the unlawful carriage and use of firearms. In addition to local uniformed and plain clothes personnel, the resources of the special detective units and the emergency response unit are also deployed on this operation. Garda activity is focused on known and likely flashpoints.
Moving to public order——
