Combating terrorism is one of the Garda's main priorities for next year, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said today.
Publishing the Garda Síochána Annual Report for 2004, the Minister said there would be "continued emphasis on combating paramilitary activities with specific regard to dissident republicans".
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell
Under the Garda Síochána Act passed earlier this year the Minister for Justice was given power to request any Garda file and entitles the Minister to set priorities for the force.
In announcing these in Templemore today, Mr McDowell said that co-operation with foreign organisations in fighting international terrorism was also high on the agenda.
Mr McDowell controversially named the executive director of the Centre for Public Inquiry, Frank Connolly, as connected to a subversive plot that included him travelling to Colombia on a false passport.
It emerged today that he was aware that Mr Connolly would not be prosecuted because of insufficient evidence. There have been calls for Mr McDowell's resignation over what critics say was his interference in judicial due process and his use of Dáil privilege to make the allegations.
He was speaking at the officially opening a new four-storey administration block at the Garda training heaquarters that coincided with the publication of the annual report. It showed a decrease of 4 per cent in headline crime last year.
"The Government's priorities for 2006 highlight some issues of great concern in the area of crime and public safety," Mr MCDowell said.
He said the fight against organised crime and drug dealing would also be a top priority through the use of specialist units and targeted operations such as Operation Anvil.
Increased funding announced in the Budget earlier this month meant that recruitment drive would be accelerated and that the target of 14,000 gardaí set in the 2002 general election would be met.
Other initiatives to be funded include the extension of Operation Anvil to divisions outside of Dublin, the recruitment of 900 members for the Garda Reserve, 800 new members of the Garda traffic corps, and crime-prevention strategies such as the youth diversion schemes and more CCTV cameras in the community.
Mr McDowell also said he was shared the Garda Commissioner determination to see more gardaí on the street. "The additional Gardaí will not be put on administrative duties. They will be put directly into frontline, operational, high-visibility policing," he said.