Mr. Jack Nolan:

You have introduced the team, Chairman, so I will not do so. It is an honour to be here today to represent the Garda Commissioner and to address the joint committee on the topic of a continuous and active presence in rural communities.

An Garda Síochána is somewhat unique in that we are intricately linked into the fabric of every aspect of Irish society. Our members work, live and socialise in the communities that we are honoured to police. Nowhere is this more true than in rural communities.

Everyone here has an intrinsic interest in this topic. We are all too aware of the challenges faced by rural communities and their unique requirements from a policing perspective. I hope that by the end of this session committee members will believe they have been fully updated on the various initiatives put in place by An Garda Síochána in rural communities to deliver a continuous and proactive service and that they will have an awareness of the relationships cultivated between An Garda Síochána and external community stakeholders. On our policing approach, An Garda Síochána has a long established tradition of developing and maintaining close relationships with the communities in which it works and is grateful for the invaluable assistance it has received during the years from many members of those communities.

As members will be aware, An Garda Síochána comprises six regions, 28 divisions, 96 districts and 564 Garda stations, with 12,420 sworn members, excluding members on secondment overseas and other placements. We also have 2,000 civilian support staff and 739 Garda Reserve members.

On crime, the most recent Garda analysis figures indicate that the level of property crime has reduced by 21% nationally in the year to date. The number of burglaries continues to decrease, with 34% fewer crimes committed this year. The number of crimes against the person is also down by 4%. An Garda Síochána delivers its policing service with equal efficiency, effectiveness and impartiality to all communities in Ireland. It is difficult to extrapolate and sometimes difficult to identify the distinction, from a crime statistics perspective, in the impact on urban and rural communities. However, we estimate that the statistics divide on a ratio of 70:30.

An Garda Síochána is committed to maintaining an active police presence in rural Ireland which manifests in the district and station network which ensures a Garda footprint in every community throughout the country and is supported and reinforced by several initiatives, one of which is the Garda national community policing model, in which community gardaí engage in community partnership building to enhance the delivery of the Garda service within communities. Such engagement is a joint process between An Garda Síochána and community groups working together to improve the quality of life of people living in these areas and reflect their needs and priorities. We also utilise the community alert and neighbourhood watch networks.

As members will be aware, the community alert scheme was introduced by Muintir na Tíre and An Garda Síochána in 1985 to encourage rural dwellers to reduce the opportunities to commit crimes and the level of isolation felt among vulnerable local community members. There are 1,409 community alert groups across rural Ireland, with a presence in every rural Garda district. The community alert scheme gives An Garda Síochána direct access to 387,000 rural homes through a network of community liaison gardaí. This is supplemented by additional levels and layers of contact by Garda management, particularly at district meetings. Every autumn each district superintendent arranges a public meeting with representatives of community alert and neighbourhood watch schemes. This provides an opportunity to co-produce community crime prevention plans that are devised and owned by communities and An Garda Síochána. It is further emphasised through divisional meetings held every spring at which every divisional chief superintendent showcases new crime prevention practices and ideas.

Neighbourhood watch is also a significant programme which shares the same ethos and tenets as the community alert scheme and is present in every Garda division in Ireland. Principally, the programme concentrates on encouraging property owners to protect their property and report suspicious activity in urban areas. Since its establishment in 1985, there are now 1,122 schemes in rural areas, incorporating 136,000 households, with a further 1,221 schemes in Cork, Limerick and Dublin covering 205,000 households. There are the same contact structures for the neighbourhood watch scheme, with contact by a community liaison garda at district and divisional level. There has been a very noticeable increase in the numbers of new and reactivated neighbourhood watch schemes in recent years.

Another tool used by An Garda Síochána in community engagement with partner agencies is the text alert system. Through a well established partnership approach with Muintir na Tíre, the neighbourhood watch scheme and the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, An Garda Síochána continues to roll out the very successful text alert system, a communication tool which is utilised by the community alert and neighbourhood watch programmes in every Garda division in Ireland. Devised in 2013, there are now 984 schemes with 184,000 subscribers who receive text messages from An Garda Síochána. The programme enjoys very significant support from communities. The Department of Justice and Equality recently announced a text alert rebate scheme to financially assist communities participating in the scheme. Apart from informing communities of imminent criminal threats or dangers, the text alert system is also used to promote public safety, particularly during inclement weather. A series of regional text alert seminars to inform communities and individuals will conclude this autumn. This will help to improve and expand the service. The community text alert system encourages people to report suspicious activity to An Garda Síochána which will, in turn, relay verified and appropriate crime prevention information to the public. The emphasis is on preventing crime through active partnership with communities. The service is community driven and provides a mechanism for a community or residents’ association to register a community contact with the local Garda district headquarters.

Another system for interacting with communities is the theft stop scheme. An Garda Síochána and the IFA recognised the need to assist farmers in preventing the theft of their farm equipment and machinery and as a result, the theft stop scheme was developed. The initiative was piloted initially in County Donegal and rolled out in County Tipperary in 2014 and the scheme is currently in the process of being rolled out nationally. Theft stop is a farm theft prevention initiative that provides members with unique identification codes to mark farm equipment. The marked equipment is then recorded on the theftstop.iewebsite. Marking property in this way acts as an effective crime deterrent and will help to reduce the theft of farm equipment. Theft stop members can purchase stencil kits or metal punching sets for use in applying their unique codes. The theft stop scheme provides An Garda Síochána with a comprehensive database of registered farm equipment which can be used in investigation, recovery and identification processes.

Another crime prevention scheme used by An Garda Síochána is the metal theft crime prevention and reduction plan which was launched by the Garda Commissioner in February 2013. The crime of metal theft strikes at the very heart of rural communities and has become a significant security and safety concern for An Garda Síochána, businesses and the public. The impact of metal theft prompted An Garda Síochána to develop a proactive plan to tackle the increase in this crime nationwide. To promote a multifaceted approach to preventing metal theft, An Garda Síochána established a metal theft forum to bring key stakeholders together. The most recent meeting of the forum was held last Friday, 28 October, and was the 11th such meeting since its inception. Representatives of a number of groups attend the forum and the collaborative approach has assisted in the development of a knowledge and assisted intelligence gathering process. It has resulted in raising awareness of metal theft through briefings by the key stakeholders and the National Crime Prevention and Public Safety Bureau using operational Garda personnel. The forum has also facilitated the development of external awareness-raising measures through the use of the Garda website and other media outlets, as well as through the "Crimecall" television programme.

Another mechanism for community contact and crime prevention is the use of closed circuit television, CCTV, systems. CCTV systems are part of an overall local policing strategy which encompasses joint policing committees, local authorities and community crime prevention initiatives. From a Garda perspective, a CCTV system in a public place is primarily an aid to policing. An Garda Síochána is committed to the development of innovative policies and practices aimed at enhancing the service provided for the public and improving the quality of life in rural communities. In reducing the incidence of crime, anti-social behaviour, public disorder, vandalism and the general fear of crime, An Garda Síochána supports the installation of CCTV systems. There are 91 public CCTV systems in place nationally, comprising 36 Garda schemes and 55 community schemes.

The rural crime phenomenon is an issue that has featured regularly in correspondence. An Garda Síochána has responded to this phenomenon by utilising a number of very effective operations. Operation Thor which was launched in November 2015 actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity, using intelligence and the latest crime trends and patterns to protect communities. It has increased Garda visibility in local communities to prevent burglaries and related crimes.

Operation Thor has also produced more high-visibility checkpoints and has increased patrolling on the motorway network, thereby denying criminals the use of the roads. It has enhanced the use of intelligence, technology and data to target prolific offenders and organised crime gangs. It has put a strong focus on working with communities to reduce opportunities for burglaries to take place. Its national awareness campaign to inform people on how to enhance the security of their homes has been highly effective.

The Garda bureau of community engagement, through the national crime prevention and public safety bureau, has produced a radio advertisement promoting the "lock-up-light-up" campaign. This provides advice to householders on home security, with particular emphasis on lighting up one's home during the darker winter months.

The national crime prevention and public safety bureau has distributed thousands of leaflets to crime prevention officers in each Garda division for dissemination to local communities. The crime prevention officers are also available to members of the public and to residents and business groups to discuss and advise on home security issues. They regularly engage with community groups to provide crime prevention advice and information.

The divisional operations under Operation Thor, such as Project Storm in the south-eastern region in the Carlow-Kilkenny Garda division, are very active. Operations to target metal theft continue on a regular basis. A network of crime prevention officers co-ordinate dedicated crime prevention action days or action weeks across the country. These operations have resulted in property crime being reduced in every Garda region in the county. There has been a 17% reduction in the Dublin region; 24% in the eastern region; 22% in the northern region; 23% in the south-eastern region; 27% in the southern region and 23% in the western region. The actual statistics are available to everybody.

The presence of An Garda Síochána in rural areas is very important. An Garda Síochána, with Government support has recruited a significant number of new trainees since 2014. A total of 200 were recruited in 2014, with an additional 450 trainees in 2015 and by the end of 2016, 650 new Garda trainees will have been recruited. In addition the Government has committed to recruiting a further 800 in 2017. The majority of these trainee gardaí have been allocated to provincial settings and An Garda Síochána proposes to continue with the effective deployment of trainee gardaí in accordance with demand and need. Approximately 330 gardaí retire on an annual basis.

There has been significant investment in the Garda fleet to support mobility, visibility and transport challenges. A total of 505 vehicles have been allocated to the Garda fleet in 2016.

Community policing in another element of the Garda engagement with communities. At present there are 874 Garda of all ranks deployed in community policing settings. This has been a challenging area due to Garda cutbacks and reduced numbers but An Garda Síochána is committed to reorganising and reinvigorating the community policing approach as set out in its modernisation and renewal programme 2016-21, which was launched by the Commissioner earlier this year.

The Garda Síochána modernisation and renewal programme, which has 13 identified goals, will address many of the challenges associated with policing in Ireland and will prepared An Garda Síochána for the many challenges in the coming years. It will renew the culture of An Garda Síochána and will put victims at the heart of the Garda service, as well as ensuring community engagement and public safety. Preventing crime and bringing crime investigation to a new level will be the priority. It will ensure there is investment in roads policing and increased capability in handling national security and organised crime investigations. It will enhance its capabilities to protect cyber-security and prevent cyber-crime. It will ensure there is proper governance and leadership of the Garda Síochána and will manage and motivate the gardaí, who are its best assets. The Garda will also engage in partnerships and collaborations with all stakeholders and all communities. The Garda will invest in technology and will communicate better on all fronts with all elements of society.

An Garda Síochána is confident that its effort to date to ensure a Garda presence in rural communities are sustainable and viable into the future. This, coupled with the considerable investment by the Government in its modernisation and renewal programme, will pay significant dividends to the people.. Rural and urban communities will benefit from continued crime reduction and enhanced community safety and personal protection processes by An Garda Síochána. These expected outcomes reflect the commitment of the Garda to delivering an effective, efficient and responsive policing service, responding to the challenges and the needs of rural communities.