John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to thank the Deputies for raising these important matters. I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, who regrets that he is unable to be present today as he is chairing a meeting of the Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Dublin Castle as part of our EU Presidency programme.

The Minister is very conscious of the deep distress which burglary and similar crimes can cause to householders in both urban and rural areas, as well as the broader impact it can have in terms of fear of crime in our communities. He also shares the widespread outrage at the recent incidents of aggravated burglary, and he is fully confident that the Garda is doing everything in its power to bring the perpetrators of these appalling crimes to justice. In particular, the Minister has kept in close touch with Garda Commissioner Callinan about these recent attacks. The Commissioner has assured the Minister that it is an absolute priority for himself and his force that the people involved will be brought to justice as quickly as possible. An Garda Síochána is devoting all the resources necessary to achieve this.

The Garda is taking a number of operational measures to deal with this problem, including additional patrols and checkpoints, dissemination of intelligence within the force concerning potential suspects and further close co-operation with the PSNI. For obvious reasons the Minister cannot go into detail publicly about these operations but one thing is clear: whatever steps are necessary, within the law, to deal with these attacks are being taken and being taken urgently. Based on its track record, we have every reason to believe that the Garda will be successful in its efforts. In particular, the Minister welcomes the progress being made as part of Operation Fiacla, which is focused on identifying and targeting gangs involved in burglaries. Operation Fiacla is intelligence driven and, as part of that operation, specific burglary initiatives have been implemented in each Garda region to target suspect offenders. As of 31 December 2012, 3,538 persons have been arrested and 1,924 persons have been charged as part of Operation Fiacla, showing that the Garda Commissioner is effectively deploying the substantial resources available to him. Furthermore, the latest quarterly figures for burglary suggest that Operation Fiacla is having an impact, when compared with the quarterly figures prior to its introduction.

While clearly it is no consolation to those who have had to endure dreadful experiences at the hands of gangs of burglars, it is nonetheless important to mention that the most recent crime figures show that the number of aggravated burglaries has gone down by over 17% on the previous 12 months. The Garda response to such crimes is robust and gangs and individuals involved in burglaries are pursued with determination arid effectiveness. Of course, there are changes to the way policing is being managed and the Minister appreciates that people have concerns about this. The priority in all the changes being made is to ensure that we have an effective and professional policing service provided to the community, throughout the country. Until recently, the Garda station network was essentially the same as the RIG network which obtained in 1922, and clearly this was not appropriate to the policing needs of the 21st century or consistent with modern policing practice.

The Garda Síochána now has a class-leading police computer system, a state-of-the-art digital radio system and a transport fleet which is currently receiving significant investment. An additional investment of €3 million in the Garda fleet towards the end of 2012 has resulted in more than170 new vehicles being purchased. These vehicles are currently entering into service. A further €5 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of new Garda vehicles in 2013. This substantial investment will contribute in a significant way to the ability of the force to operate to the optimum benefit of our communities throughout the country.

The Garda national policing plan for 2013 outlines the Commissioner's proposals for the continued reorganisation and consolidation of the Garda station and district network. After the closure of 100 Garda stations in 2013, there will still be 564 Garda stations in the State. That will be significantly more than comparable jurisdictions, such as Northern Ireland, where there are 86 stations with a population of 1.5 million people, or Scotland, where there are around 340 stations for a population of 5.2 million. The essential point of the Garda Commissioner's strategy for re-organisation and consolidation is to make the best use of our well-trained gardaí and in particular to maximise their time on operational duties.

This is precisely what is required in order to respond effectively to these shocking recent incidents and the Garda has the full confidence of the Minister and the Government in the way it is tackling these challenges. I am sure all in this House would wish to acknowledge the continuing efforts and achievements of An Garda Síochána, on behalf of our communities.

See this speech in context