Deputy Pearse Doherty
To discuss the growing community safety concerns in isolated rural
communities arising from the reduction in Garda Resources in recent years.
Response by Alan Shatter TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Cathaoirleach,
I wish to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue.
The Deputy will be aware that the allocation of resources by the
Commissioner is constantly monitored in the context of crime trends,
policing needs and other operational strategies in place on a District,
Divisional and Regional level.
On a daily basis Gardaí are involved in preventing and detecting crime and
criminal activity – the House will be aware that as recently as this
morning a man died from gunshot wounds in Golden in County Tipperary.
While it is too early to speculate on the circumstances or motive behind
this incident, it is another stark reminder of the issues being dealt with
by members of the Garda Síochána.
Both the Government and the Garda Síochána are responding to the challenges
in policing and in dealing with a very difficult economic situation. I
would like to detail some of those responses.
The House will be aware that despite budgetary constraints, I have recently
announced a substantial additional investment of €3m in Garda transport for
the purchase of new vehicles. It is anticipated that 170 vehicles will be
delivered to the Commissioner and come on stream in December and January.
They will be in addition to the over 200 vehicles which have been brought
in to service since the beginning of 2011.
In addition to our 13,500 Gardaí, we now have over 1,000 Garda reserves who
assist the Gardaí in their day to day work. Garda reserves are vital links
to our communities and I commend them for their service. There are also
over 2,000 civilian staff who provide vital technical, administrative and
specialist support to frontline Gardaí. These include scenes of crime
specialists such as photographers, analysts, IT specialists etc. Compared
with England and Wales or other smaller countries like Denmark, New Zealand
and Finland, we have more police officers per head of population.
In particular the implementation of the new Garda roster system ensures
that resources are optimally deployed when and where they are required, to
every part of the community, both rural and urban. The same drive for
efficiency is also what determined the Commissioner’s decisions to close
some Garda stations in 2012. I expect a further rationalisation of the
Garda station and district network in the forthcoming policing plan. The
objective at all times is to ensure that the most effective and efficient
service is delivered right across the country. Whilst I fully understand
the concern that communities may have about possible Garda Station
closures, I am convinced that, in providing a modern, effective police
force, our emphasis should not be on bricks and mortar. Up until the
station closures which took place earlier this year this State had a Garda
station network that was mostly unchanged since 1922 and which took no
account of modern transportation, communication and policing methods. We
must focus on making the best possible use of our police resources, so that
Gardaí are out on our streets and in our communities responding to crime
and providing visible policing rather than waiting for occasional callers
to a Garda station.
I am of course very conscious of the deep distress which burglaries and
thefts can cause to the unfortunate victims of such crimes. The most recent
comparative figures published by the CSO, indicate that the incidence of
burglary and theft in Donegal has, in fact, been less than in many other
areas of the country. However, that is not to minimise the impact of such
crimes on those affected by them, particularly the elderly and more
vulnerable members of society.
I welcome the fact that the Garda Commissioner has announced the
introduction of a wide range of measures aimed at tackling gangs involved
in burglaries. In May of this year the Garda Commissioner launched the
national ‘Garda Supporting Safer Communities Campaign’. This important
campaign will highlight a range of key issues, in particular burglary
prevention by engaging with communities.
Operation Fiacla, which commenced in February last, is focused on
identifying and targeting mobile gangs involved in burglaries around the
country so as to disrupt their activities and bring them before the Courts.
Operation Fiacla is intelligence-driven and specific burglary initiatives
have been implemented in each Garda Region, in support of this Operation,
to target suspect offenders, disrupt their activities and secure their
attendance before the courts. I am confident that Operation Fiacla is
making an impact – in fact, since its commencement up to 22nd August last,
over 1,700 persons have been arrested and almost 1,000 persons have been
charged as part of the Operation. This clearly reflects the substantial
efforts being made by the Gardaí to tackle the prolific offenders who are
behind the growth in burglaries.
The Garda National Model of Community Policing plays a key part in
responding to crime by taking into account and responding to local
conditions and needs. In this regard the Gardaí continue to work closely
with communities to enhance community safety in a wide range of local fora,
including through partnership programmes such as Community Alert and
Neighbourhood Watch, as well as more formal structures such as Joint
Policing Committees.
In concluding I would like to pay tribute to everyone in the Garda Síochána
for the commitment and the professionalism they display in carrying out
their duties.