Alan Farrell
Question:20. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Justice the steps her Department is taking to support communities and tackle organised crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43843/23]
View answerWednesday, 11 October 2023
Questions (20)
Written answers
At the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that tackling organised criminal activity is a priority for An Garda Síochána and the government.
The unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to An Garda Síochána in 2023 and 2024, up 23 per cent since 2020, demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring the Gardaí have provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work.
The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration of Garda business. As Minister, I have no role in operational policing matters. However, I am assured that An Garda Síochána continues to work closely with international partners to combat transnational crime and has already had significant success in this regard.
I was pleased to hold a bilateral meeting with my counterparts from Latin America recently, building stronger links with our international partners in the fight against transnational crime. This is complemented by the work of the Commissioner, who has recently travelled to the US, Colombia and Europe to further this engagement.
I would also like to commend An Garda Síochána and all of the state agencies involved in the recent drugs seizure that took place off Cork.
While we should not underestimate the difficulties which the Garda authorities face in tackling organised criminal activity, we continue to see the significant results of their efforts in arrests made, people being brought before the Courts both here and in other jurisdictions, and drugs and firearms seizures.
An Garda Síochána tackles organised criminal activity through a range of targeted measures designed to disrupt and dismantle the operations of criminal organisations. To the greatest extent possible, these measures include the use of advanced analytical and intelligence methodologies.The unprecedented resources allocated from my Department to An Garda Síochána in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime, including the Armed Support Unit, Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
Other measures which the Government has prioritised in tackling organised crime include increasing the maximum penalty for conspiracy to murder to life in prison, which was signed into law earlier this year. There are also Garda Armed Response Units in all Garda regions which are available to support all divisions countrywide.
The Programme for Government commits to diverting children away from gangs seeking to recruit them into a life of crime. Earlier this year, the Government agreed to publish new legislation which will criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime and will, for the first time, create specific offences where an adult compels, coerces, induces or invites a child to engage in criminal activity.We will also continue to roll out the evidence-based community intervention programme “Greentown”, which seeks to break the link between children who are engaged, or at risk of engaging, with a criminal gang.