Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Mr. Alan Shatter, who thanks the Deputy for raising this matter.

The community-based CCTV scheme was first launched in 2005 to provide financial assistance towards the capital costs of establishing community CCTV systems. To date, two major rounds of the scheme have been advertised in 2005-06 and in 2007, under which 45 substantive schemes were approved for funding of which 43 are now fully operational. In total, some €7.27 million in grant awards has been announced under the scheme, comprising funding from the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department formerly responsible for community and the Gaeltacht.

The current position is that while the funding provided under the previous two rounds has been fully allocated, the installation of a number of the grant-aided projects is ongoing. No decision has been made as to the possible further extension of the community-based CCTV scheme. However, any future plans for such an extension will depend on a number of factors, including the progression of projects already grant aided and the availability of funding.

The Deputy will be aware that in addition to the community CCTV scheme, there are is a substantial number of Garda CCTV systems operating in many parts of the country.

It should be noted that the value of CCTV systems is principally as an aid to support policing and to provide a deterrent to crime and public disorder. These schemes are not and were never intended to be a replacement for more traditional policing methods and Garda engagement with local communities.

In that context, under the national model of community policing, which was launched in 2009, each Garda district and divisional officer develops appropriate operational strategies to meet the policing needs of the local community. This includes the establishment of clear policing objectives such as high visibility in the community, ease of contact by members of the public and enhanced support for crime prevention strategies such as community alert, neighbourhood watch and crimestoppers. The Deputy will also be familiar with the Garda initiative, Operation Fiacla, which is particularly focused on identifying and targeting mobile gangs involved in burglaries around the country with the aim of disrupting their activities and bringing them before the courts. Operation Fiacla is intelligence-driven and specific burglary initiatives have been implemented in each Garda region to target suspect offenders.

The focus of An Garda Síochána is to ensure the safety of communities, both rural and urban, through maximising the efficient use of available resources and enhancing engagement to ensure the best possible policing service is provided. This will continue to be the case.

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