Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

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Urgent & overdue Surveillance Bill must be met with adequate resources - Flanagan

Fine Gael Justice Spokesman Charlie Flanagan TD has welcomed the publication of the Covert Surveillance Bill and called for its urgent implementation.

"With a conviction rate of just 11% for the 171 shootings that have taken place in the last 11 years, our evidence gathering mechanisms require an urgent overhaul.

"The number of gangland murders has increased significantly with ten murders and 12 shootings so far this year, compared to 19 murders for the whole of 2008.

"Covert surveillance legislation is absolutely essential in the fight against organised crime. At present Gardaí regularly monitor criminals under schemes such as Operation Anvil but cannot rely on the material they gather in a criminal trial. This is an unsustainable position and I welcome Minister Ahern's belated commitment to addressing the problem.

"What is needed in tandem with this Bill is a commitment to resource the DPP's office, which suffered a 3% cut in funding last year.

"Following cuts the DPP himself warned that it would be impossible for his office to process its workload, which must be growing by the day as the body count mounts. I am calling on Minister Ahern to ensure that the DPP's office has the resources it needs to prosecute criminals.

"The introduction of a DNA database is also long overdue and will be a key factor in improving the abysmal conviction rate for the heinous crime of murder.

"For the Covert Surveillance Bill to be a success it must be more than a paper exercise. The resources must be delivered to the Gardaí and the DPP to ensure that murderers and drug dealers are put behind bars where they belong.

"Fine Gael has been calling for this Bill for some time and will support any measures that will make inroads into tackling gangland criminals."