Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 17 October 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Community Policing and Rural Crime: Discussion (Resumed)

9:00 am

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is a very important message. We should decouple the insurance reporting from reporting to the Garda. The first is a decision but the other should happen in any case. If it does not, statistics would not reflect the honest picture. It is a very important point. I hope IFA and ICSA encourage their membership to do this in their meetings and engagements in every county. They should use influence not only in their own sphere but within the rest of the community. It is also important in the making of a case for additional resources. Statistics from An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, representatives of which came before us last week, indicate a 17% reduction in burglaries. Can we have confidence in that figure? We cannot do so if it is the case that people are not reporting crime that they should.

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