Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I heard what he had to say about the petrol bomb incident. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot refer to the detail of a matter that is under investigation by An Garda Síochána in the House.

The Deputy will be aware that the allocation of resources by the Commissioner is constantly monitored in the context of crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on a district, divisional and regional level. On a daily basis, gardaí are involved in preventing and detecting crime and criminal activity. The House will be aware that as recently as this morning a man died from gunshot wounds in Golden in County Tipperary. While it is too early to speculate on the circumstances or motive behind this incident, it is yet another stark reminder of the issues being dealt with by members of the Garda Síochána.

Both the Government and the Garda are responding to the challenges in policing and in dealing with a very difficult economic situation. I will detail some of those responses. The House will be aware that despite budgetary constraints, I announced a substantial additional investment of €3 million this week in Garda transport for the purchase of new vehicles. It is anticipated that 170 vehicles will be delivered to the Commissioner and come on stream in December and January. They will be in addition to the over 200 vehicles which have been brought in to service since the beginning of 2011.

In addition to our 13,500 gardaí, which is a great deal more than we had even at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, we now have over 1,000 Garda reserves who assist the gardaí in their day to day work. Garda reserves are vital links to our communities and I commend them for their service. There are also over 2,000 civilian staff who provide vital technical, administrative and specialist support to front line gardaí. These include scenes of crime specialists such as photographers, analysts, IT specialists, etc. Compared with England and Wales or other smaller countries like Denmark, New Zealand and Finland, we have more police officers per head of population.

In particular, the implementation of the new Garda roster system ensures that resources are optimally deployed when and where they are required to every part of the community, both rural and urban. The same drive for efficiency is also what determined the Commissioner's decisions to close some Garda stations in 2012, as mentioned by the Deputy. I expect a further rationalisation of the Garda station and district network in the forthcoming policing plan. The objective at all times is to ensure that the most effective and efficient service is delivered across the country. While I fully understand the concern that communities may have about possible Garda station closures, I am convinced that in providing a modern, effective police force, our emphasis should not be on bricks and mortar. Up until the station closures which took place earlier this year, this State had a Garda station network that was mostly unchanged since 1922 and which took no account of modern transportation, communication and policing methods. We must focus on making the best possible use of our police resources so that gardaí are out on our streets and in our communities responding to crime and providing visible policing rather than waiting for occasional callers to a Garda station.

I am, of course, very conscious of the deep distress which burglaries and thefts can cause to the unfortunate victims of such crimes. The most recent comparative figures published by the CSO indicate that the incidence of burglary and theft in Donegal has, in fact, been less than in many other areas of the country. However, that is not to minimise the impact of such crimes on those affected by them, particularly the elderly and more vulnerable members of society, or the impact of a petrol bomb attack on any individual or family.

I welcome the fact that the Garda Commissioner has announced the introduction of a wide range of measures aimed at tackling gangs involved in burglaries. In May of this year, the Garda Commissioner launched the national "Garda Supporting Safer Communities Campaign". This important campaign highlights a range of key issues, in particular, burglary prevention by engaging with communities.

Operation Fiacla, which commenced in February last, is focused on identifying and targeting mobile gangs involved in burglaries around the country so as to disrupt their activities and bring them before the courts. Operation Fiacla is intelligence-driven and specific burglary initiatives have been implemented in each Garda region in support of this operation to target suspect offenders, disrupt their activities and secure their attendance before the courts. I am confident that Operation Fiacla is making an impact. Since its commencement in February up to 22 August last, over 1,700 persons have been arrested and almost 1,000 persons have been charged as part of the operation.

This clearly reflects the substantial efforts being made by the Garda to tackle the prolific offenders who are behind the growth in burglaries.

The Garda national model of community policing plays a key part in responding to crime by taking into account and responding to local conditions and needs. In this regard, the Garda continues to work closely with communities to enhance community safety in a wide range of local fora, including through partnership programmes such as Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch, in addition to more formal structures such as joint policing committees.

I pay tribute to everyone in the Garda Síocháná for the commitment and professionalism they display in carrying out their duties. I assure all communities, including the one in Donegal referred to by the Deputy, that the Garda is efficiently carrying out its functions and that it will do everything possible to bring criminality to an end. However, the reality is that no matter how many members of the force there are, there will always be individuals within communities intent on criminality and targeting individuals for a variety of reasons. We cannot have a member of An Garda standing outside every house in every rural or urban community.

In the context of making reference to rural Garda stations, I draw to the Deputy's attention the fact that the main station closures occurred not in rural areas, but in Dublin. Whitehall and Harcourt Terrace Garda stations were both closed in the context of the consolidation and rationalisation of stations with a view to using resources as efficiently as possible. The next largest station to close was Dalkey Garda station, which is in the Tánaiste's constituency. It is a question of smart policing, using resources efficiently and ensuring the members of the force are not sitting unnecessarily at desks in Garda stations rather than being engaged in front line duties.

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