Ahern Praises Cross Border Crime Crackdown

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern T.D., said that law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border are working as one to combat the very real threat from organised criminals on Tuesday.

Speaking at a Cross Border crime summit in Enniskillen, Minister Ahern said that arresting suspected fuel smugglers, seizing guns, drugs and cash funded through criminal activity are just some of the recent successes cross border operations have enjoyed.

Minister Ahern was joined by Northern Ireland Security Minister and chair of the Organised Crime Task Force, Paul Goggins MP, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, and PSNI Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Orde.

Minister Ahern praised the law enforcement agencies on their success and said that the partnerships between the two Government and the agencies was making a difference.

The seminar saw the publication of the Cross Border Organised Crime Assessment 2008.

It provides a strategic assessment of organised crime in both jurisdictions, identifies emerging threats and provides an insight into the work being done by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, An Garda Síochána and other law enforcement bodies to effectively combat the threat.

Minister Ahern said: "The efforts of everyone here have already been instrumental in ensuring to the greatest extent possible that the border cannot, and will not, be used by criminals to evade the reach of law enforcement. 

"One only has to look, for example, to the cooperation between the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Assets Recovery Agency to see what can be achieved when people work together with a common understanding and with common purpose. 

"There are other examples too of where cooperation between agencies has led to successes against the drugs problem, and against those who seek to evade the payment of revenue to the Exchequer.

"The ordinary decent citizen whose life is being blighted by the insidious effects of organised crime demands that we do all in our power to protect them from the ravages of organised crime. 

"Everyone here today can be assured that both Governments will continue to work together to ensure mechanisms are in place to facilitate effective cross border cooperation." 

Minister Goggins said: "Maintaining and further developing the already excellent cross-border partnership that exists between law enforcement agencies is vital to increase our understanding and effective investigation of organised crime.

"The threats on both sides of the border are, in many cases, similar and with law enforcement agencies working together we are meeting the challenges with a robust and effective response to organised crime, whenever and wherever it surfaces."