Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Crime figures in County Louth are up significantly since 2000. For instance, last year in the county of Louth, of the 841 burglaries, only 60 were detected. I express my deep concern about the rising crime levels in the Drogheda, Ardee and Dundalk areas since 2000. The figures speak for themselves. Despite the best efforts of the Garda, the trend in crime is up significantly and we urgently need more gardaí on the beat to deter violent and ruthless criminals in our midst.

A recent reply sent to me by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform revealed that Drogheda headline crime is up a massive 62% since 2000, while the Garda headline crime detection rate in Drogheda is down significantly from 34% to 24%. The Garda in County Louth is seriously under-resourced and Garda overtime rates in Drogheda and Dundalk have been cut by a massive €163,000 since 2000. In Dundalk, headline crime is up 25% while the detection rate is down from 34% in 2000 to 20% last year.

The Government clearly lacks the will to put thugs behind bars and is losing the battle against serious crime. There are no separate Garda crime figures available for Ardee, which is must change. Many citizens have expressed serious concerns to me about the crime levels in the Ardee area and in the interests of transparency and openness, the way we collect the data must be adjusted to ensure Ardee is entered separately in its own right.

The picture that emerges from these facts is one of appalling Government neglect and sheer ministerial arrogance, while the fall in the detection rate clearly shows the urgent need for more gardaí. I will give the Minister of State some examples. In 2005, the last year for which figures are available, despite the best efforts of the Garda, of 1,313 thefts, only 325 were detected. That means 988 thefts remain undetected in Louth today. Of the 52 sexual offences committed last year, only 14 were detected. That means 38 of those crimes are undetected. Of the 71 arson offences, only five have been detected. Of the 841 burglaries, only 60 have been detected, which is a detection rate of 7%. Of the 34 robberies, only three have been detected, which is a detection rate of 8.8%. One homicide remains undetected.

I stress that I have the greatest respect for the hard work, commitment and professionalism of the Garda and its efforts to stem the rising tide of crime and anti-social behaviour in my county, but their efforts will only be successful if the Government gives them the resources they need to win this war against crime.

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