Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I reply on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, who is unfortunately unable to be present. I assure the Deputy that the Minister and I share his concern, and that of the public, with regard to raids and break-ins carried out in rural areas in County Galway in the recent past.

Engagement with the rural community and rural policing is one of the priorities of the Garda Síochána. Senior Garda management continually monitors resources and policing initiatives to ensure the service being provided is continuously improving. The Garda inspectorate, which was established under the Garda Síochána Act and is led by former Boston Police Commissioner, Ms Kathleen O'Toole, recently submitted a report to the Minister which is a comprehensive examination of the current state of the Garda Síochána and makes recommendations for the ongoing reform of the force. The report and its recommendations on the service being provided will be taken on board. Rural policing is continually being reviewed and developed and the enhanced liaison structures between Garda management and local authorities through the joint policing committees and community policing fora will be of enormous benefit to the policing of rural areas when these are fully up and running.

The Minister is informed by the Garda authorities that detective inspectors have been appointed in each division with specific responsibility for the investigation of serious crime in rural areas. The quality of criminal intelligence becoming available to the Garda Síochána is continually being improved

To enhance rural policing a number of initiatives have been implemented in Garda divisions nationally. Checkpoints are set up at strategic locations in rural villages to detect criminals travelling to commit crime outside the areas in which they live and to prevent the commission of crimes and offences. Crime prevention officers are available to offer crime prevention and security advice to residential and business groups and regularly provide such advice through local media outlets, newspaper and radio broadcasts. In addition, residents in rural areas are encouraged to establish and rejuvenate community alert schemes, assisted by members of local community policing units.

Initiatives under Operation Anvil have been implemented in every Garda district in the country. These incorporate special crime prevention and detection patrols in rural areas which have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to crime. Such patrols include all available Garda resources, including uniform and plain clothes personnel, district detective and drug units, as well as divisional crime task forces and traffic corps personnel. Patrol times are also varied to maximise coverage in such areas.

An important partnership for the Garda Síochána is its partnership with the community alert programme. This is a community-based initiative in rural communities, set up in 1985 by Muintir na Tíre in association with the Garda authorities. There are currently 1,300 community alert groups nationwide dedicated to improving the quality of life of people in rural communities who are vulnerable, in particular the elderly. The partnership between Muintir na Tíre and the Garda Síochána is formalised in a memorandum of understanding between both organisations for the development and operation of the programme. In conjunction with Muintir na Tíre, the Minister intends to launch the new community alert strategy for the period 2007 to 2011 on 26 October. This new strategy will inform the implementation of community alert over the next five years.

Community policing is a central feature of current Garda policing policy and members of community policing units are encouraged to engage with the local communities where they are assigned. An internal Garda working group has been established to develop a comprehensive model of community policing. This model is being informed by an extensive public consultation process.

I would now like to address the particular matter raised by the Deputy. The Minister is informed by the Garda authorities that a number of the burglaries referred to are occurring in rural areas of County Galway during the night. Very often the occupants of the house are asleep and remain undisturbed. In most cases the offenders take only items that they have access to from the floor to which they gained entry. Frequently the houses targeted are two storey houses, with the ground floor being the only one searched. On most occasions the injured parties only discover the break-in the following morning.

Local Garda management, through increased patrolling, strategically located checkpoints and the targeting of criminals, are actively seeking to reduce this type of crime and disrupt the activity of criminals in the area concerned. The visiting and checking of vulnerable premises during the course of patrols is also part of the crime prevention initiative. In addition, individuals who are suspected of criminal activity are being targeted. Furthermore, local residents are being encouraged to establish and rejuvenate community alert schemes assisted by local gardaí. In the Galway west division, an inspector has been appointed to co-ordinate the community alert schemes with a view to reactivating schemes and the introduction of new schemes. Local gardaí and liaison gardaí are also reviewing all neighbourhood watch schemes throughout the Galway west division with a view to reactivating dormant schemes and initiating new schemes.

Operation Anvil is implemented in each of the Garda districts in the western region. Special crime prevention and detection operations have been implemented and are ongoing. Rural areas in each of the divisions are included in operational orders taking cognisance of crime trends when implementing operations.

The Minister is aware of the concern which incidents like those referred to by the Deputy cause to the people directly affected and the wider community. He is confident the Garda Síochána is using all resources available to ensure a proactive and co-ordinated approach to prevent such incidents occurring in the future.

See this speech in context