A Dublin TD has expressed concern about the impact of Brexit border changes on the monitoring of guns, money and drugs in light of the Hutch-Kinahan feud.
Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan said she had read comments “that this violence and the number of murders in this small area would not be tolerated if it were to happen in the leafy suburbs of Dublin or the leafy suburbs of Cork”.
“How much open drug dealing is going on, on the streets of those leafy suburbs?” The Dublin Central TD asked the Dáil.
“It’s telling that it took a string of murders to bring attention and focus on those issues in the north inner city.”
In relation to Brexit, she said: “With all this discussion about moveable borders and flexible borders you wonder about how the whole tracking of guns, money and drugs is going to be monitored.”
Tánaiste Simon Coveney said the Garda's Operation Hybrid, established to co-ordinate the response to violent crime in Dublin showed that up to January 21st, there had been 72 arrests and 13 charges in total of which 10 related to murder investigations, three charges for other related offences.
He said 34 firearms were seized and in the region of 260 searches and more than 15,000 lines of inquiry were conducted, with more than 50,000 high visibility checkpoints.
Co-operation
The Tánaiste said that in relation to North-South issues, the co-operation between An Garda and the PSNI had “probably never been better” than currently “and we need to make sure that through and post Brexit that co-operation is sustained”.
Ms O’Sullivan acknowledged the work of the Government and the initiatives it had initiated since the feud began. But she said the reaction now seemed to be “like ‘another murder in north inner city, more of the gangland feud’ and it’s forgotten about until the next one and it’s likely that there will be more”.
Mr Coveney said there had been multiple initiatives across a range of areas and €2.5 million was provided last year for services for families and young people in the north inner city.
He said resources were not an issue and if the Garda sought more funding for community policing, “there will be a positive response”.
