MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern says organised crime is now a reality in the west and is not confined to Dublin and Limerick.
Mr Ahern said in Galway yesterday, where he opened two new Garda stations in Connemara, that the legislation on tackling gangland crime and surveillance was proving to be a “godsend” to the Garda. Earlier this month, 12 men were arrested in Galway city and county for alleged offences under the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009, which provides for offences in directing or participating in an organised crime gang.
Mr Ahern paid tribute to the Garda investigation team, led by Assistant Commissioner John O’Mahoney.
Code-named Operation Foolscap, it involved searches of up to 21 addresses, including houses and offices, and confiscation of equipment including mobile phones, cars, computers and documentation. Seven men were charged and files were sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions in respect of a number of the other cases.
“People would have been surprised that a lot of this gangland crime stuff was primarily earmarked at Dublin and Limerick, and to a lesser extent Cork,” Mr Ahern said.
“There is significant gangland activity in other parts of the country, not least people moving out from urban areas into rural areas and carrying out significant organised crime.
“There has been a substantial focus by the Garda on the Galway area and particularly in the outer lying areas of Galway city.
“Anecdotally, the word from the Garda is that this legislation we passed 11 months ago, together with the surveillance legislation, has been a godsend in that it has had a dramatic effect on their effort to fight gangland crime.”
The Garda’s armed regional support unit had also been deployed in the west, and it was “showing its worth”, the Minister said.
Mr Ahern was opening new Garda stations in Leitir Móir and Carna. He said the stations were part of “an investment of over €227 million since 2005, in both capital investment and maintenance.
That investment has resulted in significant improvements in Garda accommodation in many areas throughout the State.
“However, effective policing is not just about accommodation and resources. It is also about the personnel who provide the policing service to our communities.
“That is why the investment in Garda infrastructure in recent years has been matched by an investment in personnel. The number of gardaí serving in the Salthill district has increased by more than 16 per cent since 2006 and in the Clifden district by more than 23 per cent in the same period.”
Mr Ahern said “tremendous work” was being carried out by the Garda Síochána and effective policing was “an essential element in maintaining the social fabric of any community”.
The Minister also paid tribute to all those involved in the two station projects.