LAST UPDATE | 5 Nov

CHILDREN AS YOUNG as eight-years-old are being groomed by organised crime groups, a new report has found. 

The study by the Garda Síochána Inspectorate examined how gardaí deal with transnational organised crime (TOC). The report looked at the structures, strategies and processes to confront the gangs.

Mark Toland, Chief Inspector, paid tribute to garda handling of investigations but said more needs to be done to prevent people, particularly children, from being used by organised crime groups. 

“As organised crime impacts significantly on the most vulnerable people in society, prevention and investigation should be key priorities.

“This requires international cooperation and a strategic cross-government approach to enhance community safety, support victims and reduce recidivism through diversion and disengagement from organised crime,” he said. 

The report found that while garda operations were successful in targeting high-profile crime groups and seizing large quantities of drugs and criminal assets that such operations were temporary successes. 

The report found that the harms on communities was not being addressed adequately by the State. 

The report found that children as young as eight-years-old are being “groomed” by Organised crime groups (OCG) and “coerced into involvement in drug related intimidation and collection of debts. 

The report found that when the Inspectorate met with victims of human trafficking and intimidation that they identified an “absence of a National Victims Strategy” and that “support can be inconsistent and uncoordinated”. 

The Inspectorate praised international liaison operations by gardaí particularly with Europol and Interpol. 

However domestically the effectiveness of multi-agency working would be enhanced by the establishment of a National Crime Agency as a forum for the agencies to meet and share information on organised crime. 

It also said that the garda organisation needs to become more “data-informed, intelligence-led and technology-enabled”.

The Inspectorate has made 68 recommendations to An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and other agencies.

These include improved strategic and operational structures to deliver “a better understanding of the threat and risk” of crime groups both here at home and internationally. This measure, the Inspectorate believes, would then be used to prioritise and coordinate operational activity. 

The Inspector has called for an all-island Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment to target international crime groups. 

The report recommends that legislative changes are needed to maximise international co-operation and enabling sharing of information similar to those used in other jurisdictions. 

The Inspectorate said there needs to be a focus on victims and crime prevention through examining diversion as well as ways to deal with recidivism. 

Finally the report calls for a Youth Justice Agency, an organised crime unit and a post-detention family support model to divert and support people in organised criminal networks. 

Mark Toland said he believes full implementation will help to attack the problem of community harm.

Garda reaction

In response to the report An Garda Síochána defended its record of confronting organised crime groups. 

In a statement it said it takes the “threat posed to society, communities and individuals from organised crime nationally and internationally very seriously” and said it was “determined” to dismantle organised crime gangs.

“An Garda Síochána has long spoken about the devastating impact that organised crime has on communities. Over the last decade, An Garda Síochána has invested significantly in this area,” the statement added. 

The garda organisation also described how it has a dedicated Assistant Commissioner in charge of operations targeting organised crime and dedicated bureaus dealing specifically with drugs and OCG activity, Economic Crime and Cyber-crime.

“These are all staffed by highly experienced and trained detectives. In addition, our network of international Liaison Officers has been expanded to America, South America, and the Middle East to enhance co-operation with our international law enforcement partners.

“In the last number of years, An Garda Síochána has seized significant amounts of drugs, firearms, and cash from organised crime gangs,” the statement said. 

Gardaí also listed out large quantities of seized items, drugs, property and the proceeds of crime over several years. It also listed out specialist operations preventing loss of life. 

The statement also explained that the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, since it was established in 2015, it has returned more than €20 million to the State at the conclusion of criminal proceedings.

“Many senior organised crime figures have been arrested by Gardaí and given lengthy custodial sentences by the Courts.

“Major interventions in assassination attempts have saved lives and resulted in the number of organised crime related murders falling dramatically,” the statement stated.