Gardaí condemn crime unit funding cut

GARDA associations have expressed serious concern at a 50% cut in funding to the Garda’s dedicated operation combating organised crime.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan revealed on Monday that the budget for Operation Anvil had been chopped, from €21 million in 2010 to €10m in 2011.

He stressed he could access separate funding to complement this and fund operations against organised crime and subversives.

Operation Anvil was set up in 2005 to specifically target gang-related activities. It involves both high visibility checkpoints and patrols as well as planned search and arrest operations.

More than €40m worth of property has been seized, 2,800 illegal firearms recovered and over 8,700 arrests for serious offences under the operation.

“The concerns we have about reducing budgets is that ultimately, no matter what they say, if money is cut the ability to carry out the same level of policing is reduced,” said John Redmond, assistant general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors. “It applies to all operations, but special operations are very important in tackling organised, gangland, crime and dissident republicans, which, as we have seen, are more and more active.”

Damien McCarthy, president of the Garda Representative Association, said: “Initiatives such as Operation Anvil have been key in facing down organised crime and is one of the ongoing success stories that gardaí are proud of; to hear of funding cuts when crime, and fear of crime, are on the increase confounds common sense.

“The fight against crime is ongoing; cutting this funding puts further pressure on our limited and diminishing resources. Garda numbers are being systematically reduced and further attacks on garda resources sends the wrong message to the criminal fraternity.”

Mr Redmond said community policing was equally as important and the plan to cut numbers from 14,500 to 13,000 by 2014 would affect that. “A couple of years ago a minister said we needed 16,000, now the decision is to do with 13,000. Seems like policing on a whim. This is at a time of recession when the only growth industry for definite is crime.”