Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on an extremely important issue. First I express my sympathies to the families of the two Polish men murdered recently in Dublin. Their parents lost these two sons to emigration less than a year ago, which must have been difficult for them at that time. To bring their children home in a box must be particularly traumatic and my sympathies are with them.

I attended the remembrance mass last night in Drimnagh and it was heartening to see a community reclaim and restate its own sense of community after such horrible and cruel murders. There is no doubt that crime is a major challenge to every society in the world and Ireland is no different. It seems as we become wealthier as a nation, we become more detached as a community.

As the Minister stated, no crime is victimless and nobody deserves to be the subject of an act of violence. Earlier today I heard Deputy Rabbitte asking what the Minister was going to do about groups of young people loitering with intent. I only caught the comment briefly so I may be misinterpreting what the Deputy said. Unfortunately, this is the sort of perception that does not assist anyone when making an effort to deal with an extremely sensitive issue.

It is important to remember that not every group of young people will attack older people when they walk by and not every older person realises that the noisy group in front of them is not about to assault that person. There is clearly a disconnect between older people and young people and a lack of understanding of youth culture. Young people are not aware of how older people feel when they see a large group of young people shouting or enjoying themselves. This disconnect must be addressed and, as Fr. Cosgrove said at last night's mass, this must be done from the ground up. It must be done in schools, youth clubs and sports clubs, and most importantly, at home by parents. We do not need more legislation, we need more education.

I am glad this issue is receiving attention both within this Chamber and from the media. I am glad this Government has clearly prioritised the health and safety of its citizens. The Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan, whom we have just heard, is at the helm of a Department which is successfully providing resources to tackle crime, combating the causes of crime and dealing with the aftermath, which is just as important. The Minister listens and when there is a national conversation on crime it is important to have a Minister who does this.

There is no doubt that those who carry out criminal offences do so for a number of reasons. As there is not a single reason, there is not a single measure that will cure all our ills. One Department will not resolve all the issues around crime. The advocates of locking people up and throwing away the key will sound good. We should face the fact that this motion and the rhetoric addressing it appeal to our collective sense of fear and concern for the health and safety of children and parents. The motion does not offer any real solutions because what is needed is a complex set of actions. The Minister and this Government are working to lead and not scare people.

One piece, and only one small piece, in the jigsaw is policing. This is vital in ensuring not only that criminals are caught but also to provide reassurance and security to ordinary citizens. The programme for Government has committed to an increase in gardaí to 15,000 by 2010 and 16,000 by 2012. I am told we are on track to reach this target.

The Department has also launched a 2008 policing plan. This outlines key objectives for 2008, including the facilitation of joint policing committees; the tackling of gun crime, organised crime and drugs; and increasing public order. The plan includes a commitment to a publicity campaign directed at the use of knives in serious crime. The plan creates closer synergy between local authorities and Garda divisions. Resources have clearly been provided by the Government to the Garda to the tune of €1.6 billion in 2008, an increase of 11% since 2007.

There is no doubt the consumption of alcohol plays a major role in crime. Garda activity has been very strong in this area and in my constituency of Dublin South-East there has been a concerned effort to address this issue. There has been an increase of 19.7% in the detection of possession of drugs for sale or supply and this has a deterrent effect on potential criminals.

This Government has also prioritised the need to discourage under age drinking and anti-social behaviour. This has been backed up by legislation including the Intoxicating Liquor Act amended in 2000, which provides for closure orders for serving under age persons. We have recently seen a debate on the selling of alcohol in outlets such as petrol stations and supermarkets. I strongly believe there should be a complete ban on the sale of alcohol in supermarkets and petrol stations. Unless this is done we are just asking for trouble. It is healthy that we engage in this debate and question the effect of easy access to alcohol, particularly for young people. In my constituency of Dublin South-East, I see many local community groups working very hard on the ground, providing sports facilities and activities for young people. There is no doubt that this has a positive impact and discourages children from turning to anti-social behaviour.

Fianna Fáil-led Governments have rightly invested significant sums of money in improving facilities for young people. Ringsend Park is a tribute to this commitment and we need to continue creating and improving facilities for young people. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey, is continuing to tackle the drugs problem through the national drugs strategy and is in the course of preparing a new strategy.

Nobody would deny that knife crime must be combated as a matter of urgency. However, as the Minister indicated, it is a complex issue and what this Opposition motion is omitting is that there has been a mixture of trends in recent years. For example, there was an increase in headline crime of 1.7% in 2007 but the level of crime per 1,000 people has actually decreased. There was a reduction in the number of burglaries by 5.4% in 2007 and the number of stabbings increased to 36 in 2007.

I notice in the motion a focus on the use of knives. As far as I am aware, a number of deaths by stabbing not too far away from here in Dublin South-East have occurred with the use of kitchen knives. These knives were not bought in a knife shop or procured illegally. These people went home, picked knives from a drawer and then committed the stabbing. So how does the Opposition propose to deal with knives in our kitchen drawers? The motion sounds dramatic but it demonstrates that the Opposition wants headlines rather than to tackle the issues in a serious way. The motion's focus on the availability of knives detracts from the complexity of the issue. It is not just about availability, as the Opposition would have us believe, as there are knives in every kitchen in the country. Instead it is about tackling the root causes of violence as well as ensuring the provision of necessary resources.

This Government is prioritising crime. We have increased resources and funding. The new policing plan for 2008 has been launched and as a result, the number of gardaí will be increased to 15,000 in 2010. An holistic approach that recognises the multifaceted nature of crime has been adopted. I am certain this Government and the Minister are working effectively on this issue.

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