While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for operational matters, my Department, and the whole of Government, are acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage that drug dealing has on communities across the country.
I can also assure the Deputy that tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity, including by organised crime groups, is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the wider Government.
The government has allocated An Garda Síochána with an unprecedented budget of over €2 billion in 2022 and now €2.14 billion for 2023. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff.
The additional resources allocated to AGS in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist services involved in tackling organised crime.
These include the Armed Support Units, Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the table below shows the personnel strength of the DMR West drugs unit, the Garda Division that Finglas is part of:
DMR West
|
31/12/2017
|
31/12/2018
|
31/12/2019
|
31/12/2020
|
31/12/2021
|
30/09/2022
|
Drugs Unit
|
17
|
11
|
7
|
22
|
26
|
19
|