Gardaí miss target to cut road fatalities and property crime
More than €7m was demanded from crime bosses in 2013 and over €5m was collected and handed over to the State.
However, gardaí failed to meet their own internal targets to increase detection rates for violent property crime and cut road deaths.
According to the Garda Síochána Annual Report 2013:
nA total of 269 organised crime groups were targeted in 2013;
nSome 317 operations and 1,593 intelligence investigations were undertaken by the Garda National Drugs Unit, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigations and the Criminal Assets Bureau;
nThe CAB finalised 14 cases in the High Court and over €1m from the sale of criminal assets was handed over to the State. Almost €3m worth of property was frozen and €5m handed over from tax demands against drug barons, fuel launderers, cigarette smugglers, and fraudsters.
nDrugs worth €65m were seized in 2013, including €45m of cannabis, €9m of heroin, €3.6m of cocaine and €3.6m worth of ecstasy
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald yesterday said the report highlighted the contribution the force made to “keeping our communities safe and preserving the security of the State”.
In the report, interim garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan referred to the gangland murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe in Lordship, Dundalk, Co Louth, on Jan 25, 2013.
“The investigation in relation to Adrian’s murder remains live and our determination to bring the people who carried out this cowardly act to justice remains steadfast,” she said.
She said 2013 also saw the first increase in road deaths since 2006 — up from 161 in 2012 to 190 in 2013 — resulting in the Garda target regarding road fatalities not being met.
The report also showed that targets to increase detection rates for property crime and violent property crime “was not achieved,” with targets off by 2% and 6% respectively.
The CAB and the GBFI served 639 production and freezing orders.
The CAB issued 27 tax assessments and the GBFI commenced 42 commercial fraud investigations.
The GNDU arrested 61 suspected drug traffickers and seized €32m worth of drugs in 73 significant seizures.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau commenced 56 human trafficking investigations and 44 suspected victims of human trafficking were identified.
The report said 88 racially motived crimes were reported, as well as 15 homophobic crimes.
Some 296 children behaviour warnings were issued in 2013, along with 847 adult behaviour warnings.
