A Dáil motion brought by Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy calling for an "immediate and determined crackdown" on drug debt intimidation was supported by the Government on Tuesday evening, 20 October, with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan telling TDs that anyone who terrorises families for money "will be pursued relentlessly" by gardaí.
Deputy Carthy, Sinn Féin's spokesperson on justice, home affairs and migration, introduced the motion during Private Members' Business, RTÉ News reported. The debate followed the fatal arson attack in Waterford in which Philip and Kim English and their sons Callum (12) and Jayden (9) were killed. The Irish Times reports that two other children in the family, Nadia (14) and Elliott (6), remain in critical condition in hospital.
What Carthy asked for
Opening the debate, Deputy Carthy told the Dáil that families are living in fear and in despair and "too often feel abandoned", RTÉ reported. "Communities are asking, 'When is enough enough?'" he said, urging that "the full resources of the State" be put behind the effort.
According to the Irish Times, he called for a public awareness campaign so people know where to turn when they are threatened, and a "particular focus on stopping young people being groomed" into crime by the gangs. He also said the Criminal Assets Bureau should set up a dedicated operation to identify and target those responsible, "seizing the assets of the gangs and individuals who terrorise families and communities".
In a statement after the Government accepted the motion, Deputy Carthy said that acceptance "must be matched by immediate action". He said the Minister should engage with Garda management on a sustained crackdown and with CAB to make sure a dedicated operation is properly resourced. "Those engaged in this criminality must be identified, arrested and prosecuted. We need to get these people off our streets and out of our communities," he said.
He also called for high-visibility policing, "significant increases in community Gardaí", and funding for youth services, outreach workers, addiction supports, diversion programmes and CCTV.
The Minister's reply
Minister O'Callaghan thanked Sinn Féin for tabling the motion and said a united response from the Dáil was "extremely important". He acknowledged that drug-related intimidation is widespread, and pledged: "I will resource An Garda Síochána to ensure that they are able to meet this threat," the Irish Times reported.
But he said the only way to deal with intimidation is for gardaí to be told about it. He accepted that this "may strike some terror" into people who fear the person threatening them, and urged them to come forward regardless. He also said people who choose to use drugs need to know it "is going to bring a load of misery on to them" and can bring "terrible intimidation on their families".
Why it matters in Monaghan
Last week Sinn Féin pointed to the first data report from the DRIVE project on drug-related intimidation, published in May, which recorded more than 1,000 cases across every county in the State. Two-thirds involved drug debt, a quarter involved threats against family members, and only one in ten were reported to gardaí.
That chimes with what Monaghan Brief heard locally last week. Packie Kelly, coordinator of Teach na nDaoine Family Resource Centre in Monaghan town, said intimidation issues are "unfortunately alive in the county of Monaghan", with debts pushed onto extended family members and people often afraid to seek help. You can read that report here. The county also received no Community Safety Fund money for a second year running, as we reported on Monday.
Where to get help
Gardaí have said every division has a nominated inspector who deals with drug-related intimidation in confidence, and that victims can meet them at a place and in a format that suits them. Teach na nDaoine in Monaghan town also offers support to anyone facing threats.
