THE PURSUIT of gangland criminals will be the top priority of An Garda Síochána next year, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has said.
The fight against gangs involved in drugs and gun crime has been prioritised by Mr Ahern among six key areas for the force next year.
The priorities were published by Mr Ahern yesterday following talks with Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy on the direction of An Garda Síochána for next year.
Under powers vested in him by the Garda Síochána Act 2005 the Minister for Justice sets the policing priorities for the force after consulting with the commissioner. The priorities are considered by senior Garda management and inform the force's annual policing plan, which is currently being finalised for next year.
Mr Ahern said that, despite the worsening economic conditions, he was determined the Garda's tough approach to gangland crime would be continued.
"We must continue to build on the great work of the gardaí in tackling drug-traffickers and gangland criminals who have no regard for human life," Mr Ahern said.
"Funding for Operation Anvil [which targets organised crime gangs] and other key operations will be maintained through 2009 and any savings that have to be made will not be allowed to diminish frontline policing."
The budget for Operation Anvil for next year has been increased by €1 million to €21 million.
The monies will be used exclusively to pay for Garda overtime to tackle armed gangs. Operation Anvil is focused mainly in the Dublin area but also targets some gangs in Limerick, Cork and more rural areas.
Despite the budget for Operation Anvil having been increased for next year the total funds available to the Garda for all overtime across the force has been reduced by €28 million to €80 million.
As well as tackling organised crime, the remaining priorities set by Mr Ahern for the Garda for next year are:
• Domestic and international terrorism.
• Road safety.
• Public order.
• Illegal immigration and human trafficking.
• Customer service and response times.
Mr Ahern has also announced that he will be incorporating commitments on community policing into the Garda charter.
"There is a clear demand from the public for [community policing] and I want individual communities to be informed about the level of service which they can expect from An Garda Síochána," he said.
A commitment to publish a Garda charter is contained in the Programme for Government. The charter will effectively be an outline of services and standards that members of the public can expect from the force.
Mr Ahern is waiting on the Garda Inspectorate to finish its review of resources within the force. The inspectorate's review will inform and help shape the Garda charter, a spokesman for Mr Ahern said.