INISHOWEN TD Pádraig MacLochlainn was among those
who questioned Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan
this morning at the Oireachtas Justice Committee
hearing.
Sinn Féin's justice spokesman raised a number of
issues including organised crime and the closure of
Garda stations across the State. He also called for
the monies seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau
(CAB) to be put back in to the communities suffering
most from criminality and drug-dealing.
“Today I relayed the fears of rural communities
directly to the Garda Commissioner that the closure
of Garda stations is having a negative impact on
those communities. The Commissioner cannot remove
Gardaí from communities and then expect that this
will not result in them losing touch with the people
they are there to serve," said Deputy MacLochlainn.
The Buncrana-based T.D., said crime "destroyed
morale" in communities.
“There are people involved in crime in this country
that destroys the morale of communities and Sinn
Féin is of the very clear view that the Criminal
Assets Bureau has a responsibility to go after the
criminals who are still driving freely through our
streets in their big cars bought with money earned
from wrecking communities.
"We have long since called for the proceeds of crime
seized by CAB to be ring-fenced and put back in to
the communities who suffered most directly from this
criminality," he added.
Meanwhile, speaking ahead of today's committee
hearing, Mr Callinan revealed that 25 gangs control
Ireland's criminal underworld with five of them also
operating within a "significant international
dimension".
He said the majority of the gangs are centred in
Sligo, Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway. Mr
Callinan said there was significant interaction
between them especially on areas such as drugs
importation. |
