Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has said the threat from dissident republican groups remains severe and significant.
Mr Ahern said the Government and the gardaí were under no illusion about the danger posed by groups outside the peace process, such as the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA.
Mr Ahern today hosted the first trilateral meeting on criminal justice with his Northern Ireland and Scottish counterparts in Dundalk, Co Louth.
The meeting focused primarily on issues of common interest relating to human trafficking, organised crime, forensic science, DNA databases, police training and approaches to reducing offending.
Minister Ahern also briefed his colleagues on involvement of dissident republican groups in organised crime.
Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford said the justice issues faced in Belfast were similar to those in Dublin and Edinburgh.
He said working in isolation is not an option if ‘we are serious about combating criminals who operate across jurisdictions.’
