§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures have been taken since 1997 to tackle(a) organised crime, (b) smuggling and (c) drug crime. [121135]
§ Jane KennedyThe Organised Crime Task Force which I chair was established in September 2000 to set the strategic direction for a multi-agency approach to tackling smuggling, drug crime and indeed organised crime in all its forms.
While the law enforcement agencies have always worked well together at an operational level, and both PSNI and Customs had undertaken tremendous work to tackle all areas of organised criminality prior to September 2000, the Task Force has co-ordinated and focused their efforts to increased effect.