Garda Commissioner Kelly, Chief Constable Boucher, heads of departments, delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I want to start by saying I'm delighted to be here with you in Cavan today.

The first thing I want to do is I want to offer my sincere thanks to An Garda Síochána, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and all the agencies represented here today for the work that you do on an ongoing basis for the people of both jurisdictions.

The value of the work you do has to be emphasised, I think, by politicians because it is so important to the public in both jurisdictions.

By working together on joint operations, sharing information and ultimately preventing criminal acts on both sides of the border, you make life safer for the people across the island.

As you all know better than most, criminals and organised crime groups do not respect borders. While beyond benefit from the freedom of movement across the border, they use this level of access to commit crimes in both jurisdictions.

And criminal networks abroad also exploit the freedom our people enjoy to move illicit goods and people. Therefore, our response must be equally agile and relentless.

Cooperation between law enforcement and justice agencies in both jurisdictions is essential to protect our communities.

Alongside Minister Long, I'll continue to prioritise open and constructive dialogue on our shared issues of concern, including organised crime.

This will include us continuing to meet under the intergovernmental agreement on criminal justice cooperation.

North-south cooperation and policing and criminal justice is a priority for the Irish government. And I know that is a position shared by Naomi and the Northern Ireland government.

We have a shared interest to use our formal arrangements and build strong working relationships with each other so that we can tackle crime effectively, to support victims and to keep our respective communities safe.

An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland along with the respective departments of justice and other agencies here today have strong working relationships.

And I've heard from them how they appreciate the value of good cooperation at all levels.

As we focus on the theme for this conference, targeting the business model of organised crime, it's worth emphasising that organised crime is not simply a policing problem.

It is a societal problem that exploits the most vulnerable in our communities, corrodes trust in our institutions, and undermines the prosperity we all work hard to build.

Serious and organised crime has a destabilising effect on our society. It undermines our economies and the rule of law by generating illicit proceeds, spreading violence, and normalising corruption.

At its core, organised crime is a business. It identifies demands, creates supply, generates profit, and reinvests that profit to consolidate market power. Drug dealing, human trafficking, smuggling of goods and people, firearms trafficking, money laundering, all are components of a business model with complex transport networks and increasing numbers of customers.

If we only target low-level participants in this business, we will not succeed in disrupting the broader business model.

If we focus on seizures without understanding the flow of funds that sustains these networks, we will fail to disrupt their incentives.

That is why today's focus, the business model, is so important.

This is why we must concentrate on mapping these networks, investigating illicit financial flows, and on tracking supply chains, financial structures, and logistics.

Paramount to this is enhancing cross jurisdictional cooperation, collaboration, and enforcement. In the past, legislatures and law enforcements have found successful ways to tackle and disrupt those models.

In the aftermath of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, almost 30 years ago, the Irish government introduced significant legislative changes to combat organised crime groups by depriving them of the wealth generated through crime.

Since then, the criminal assets bureau has successfully seized and returned more than €220 million to the exchequer. But crime, as we know, doesn't stand still.

I'm currently progressing amendments to the proceeds of crime legislation designed to strengthen our legal armoury to confiscate criminal gain, and in doing so to make crime unprofitable.

It will introduce crucial updates to confront these modern challenges, enabling faster and more efficient seizure of criminal assets, whether they're gained from drug trafficking or other forms of organised crime.

We know that criminal networks thrive on their ability to launder in high profits, to invest in legitimate enterprises, and to expand their operations unchecked.

This legislation I'm progressing reflects best practice internationally.

But importantly, it reflects our determination to ensure that in Ireland, crime does not pay.

A decade ago, Dublin was experiencing a wave of organised crime incidents that shocked communities and received international attention, further fuelled by the Regency Hotel attack.

An Garda Síochána’s response over the last decade has led to significant reductions in firearm related murders and has resulted in the prosecution and conviction of organised criminals associated with gang violence in Dublin.

The Gardaí and Ireland’s robust organised crime legislation has been instrumental in supporting these efforts, with over one thousand arrests during this period for organised crime offences.

Many of these people also face charges for criminal activities, such as murder, firearms, and drug trafficking.

Due to the exceptional work of An Garda Síochána and what can only be described as a historic outcome, Ireland, for the first time since 1968, recorded zero gangland related gun murders in 2025, and that is a testament to the success and achievement of An Garda Síochána.

And as I've said, the importance of cross-border cooperation cannot be overstated.

This is why it's so important that the partnership between the Gardaí and the PSNI continues to deliver concrete and measurable progress, particularly through the joint agency task force.

The Task Force continues to facilitate excellent cross-border cooperation, both on a practical day-to-day basis and at a strategic level.

The results are evident in the multiple successes achieved in disrupting and preventing organised criminality and making all our communities safe.

These efforts have facilitated the gathering and sharing of information, which has resulted in several recent successful operational outcomes, including; the arrest and extradition of an individual wanted for serious offences in Britain; a coordinated operation to tackle a transnational organised crime group suspected of human trafficking and organised prostitution; and a successful control delivery of a significant quantity of cannabis, achieved through swift cooperation, between the Gardaí, Revenue and the PSNI.

Another area where excellent cooperation is also evident is on immigration issues.

I welcomed the continued joint effort in 2025 to prevent and detect persons illegally entering the Republic of Ireland and abusing the common travel area under Operation Sonnet.

Through cooperation and operational activity, your work is producing results, keeping our community safe in the process, but sending a strong message to criminals.

The Task Force is doing this in really practical, visible ways, through customs seizures, identifying victims of human trafficking, and joint days of action against organised crime groups.

This progress has not happened by accident, it has been the result of years of sustained collaboration, trust building, operational alignment, and a shared commitment to public safety.

You've learned from each other, supported each other, and importantly have acted together.

This is a partnership that continues to evolve. And with that, I believe can only get stronger.

It's incumbent upon us to ensure that our response is as agile and creative as those who operate these criminal networks.

No jurisdiction can succeed in isolation.

In closing I again want to acknowledge the dedication of members of An Garda Síochána, members of the PSNI and all our partner agencies whose work on the ground and behind the scenes, keep our communities safer every day.

Your professionalism, your determination, and your courage are the foundation on which we build progress.

I want to offer my appreciation to all who've taken the time to be here today, and I wish you well in your vital work, tackling organised crime, and keeping our community safe north and south.

Thank you very much.