[Oireachtas] Dail Eireann debate. Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023: Second Stage (resumed). (23 Mar 2023)
External website: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2...
Deputy Thomas Pringle: I will pick up from where I finished the last day. There is no clarity in this legislation as to how oversight and accountability are to be achieved in practice, despite the fact that one of its aims is to simplify accountability structures. Among some of these new bodies, the Bill provides for the establishment of a board. I believe this is a backward step, and not only for the duplication and accountability reasons I have outlined. The board will not be as independent or as transparent as it should be, and it will conduct its activities in private, which is very wrong. Although it is important that internal governance structures are strong, we still need to ensure external, independent input into and oversight of these key matters of governance. Police governance and accountability should be transparent, and agendas and reports should be published….
Deputy Maurice Quinlivan: I followed this debate online and on TV when it was on previously so I am delighted to have some time to contribute to it myself. The importance of this Bill cannot be underestimated or understated. It sets in motion the conditions for a modern framework for policing with a view to improving performance and accountability within An Garda Síochána. It is the outworking of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, a report which followed wide consultation across the State. I attended a meeting in Thomond Park in January 2018 as part of that consultation. Of course, there were, and continue to be, some concerns about the Bill but, on the whole, it is a welcome introduction and should aid in modernising our local police force….
Another prime example of how effective joint operations can be is the launch in March 2021 of Operation Copóg in Limerick, which involves collaboration between Limerick City and County Council and An Garda Síochána. The operation ended on 4 September 2020 and made a significant dent in the operation of a drugs gang in the St. Mary's Park area of our city of Limerick.
While all the problems have not been resolved, good progress has been made. This joint initiative between Limerick City and County Council and the Garda was established as a response to feedback from stakeholders, me and, most important, residents of St. Mary's Park who have had enough of the ongoing drug dealing in their area for years. The operation had many successes. Derelict sites that had been used to store illegal drugs were boarded up and, where necessary, demolished and the Garda conducted operations that dealt a financial blow to the drug gangs in the area. During the term of the operation, millions of euro in illegal drugs and cash were seized, with €2.8 million seized in the first seven months alone. In addition, 61 people were arrested on suspicion of the sale and supply of illegal drugs in the first year and 49 vehicles were seized in the same period.
While the operation officially ended on 4 September, the pressure has been kept up in the area. It culminated this week in the shuttering of what was colloquially referred to as a drug supermarket in the area. It was great to see it closed down this week.
I record my appreciation to the Limerick local authority and An Garda Síochána for their work on Operation Copóg. I also acknowledge the engagement the Garda undertook with me, local residents and others so that the residents of the area could be kept abreast of the operation's progress. This type of policing, reacting to the concerns of residents, is most welcome and long overdue. Long may it continue...
[For the full debate, click on this link to the Oireachtas website]
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