Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Minister regrets that he is unable to be present due to other business. He does not consider it appropriate to comment on remarks made by a member of the Judiciary, apparently during the course of court proceedings. Law enforcement policy is a matter for the Executive. Accordingly, I will curtail his comments to the general proposition that the assistance of the Civil Defence is required in respect of policing arrangements in Tallaght or any other part of the country. I appreciate the strength of the social order in Tallaght and in all parts of our country. The reason that has built up is the co-operation outlined by the Deputy between An Garda Síochána and local communities. I see this in my constituency through the operation of policing fora and the engagement between gardaí and residents associations and individual community members. This is the reason we are fortunate to have strong social order within local communities and the country as a whole during the difficult times we are enduring.

The underlying concern is the provision of effective policing, and the Minister for Justice and Equality shares the Deputy's desire that the most effective strategies to counter and prevent crime be pursued in Tallaght and elsewhere. In this regard, he is in ongoing contact with the Garda Commissioner, who assures him that the significant resources available to An Garda Síochána are effectively deployed to meet policing needs in the Tallaght area. I am sure the Deputy will be aware of these resources through his work but 174 members of the force are assigned to the Tallaght sub-district, supplemented by 14 members of the Garda Reserve and supported by 11 civilian staff.

Furthermore, the Garda national policing plan has a strong focus on active engagement with communities to support crime reduction and crime prevention. I experience this every day in my own constituency work and I am sure the Deputy has the same experience in his area. This strategic approach also guides local policing plans, which are tailored to the specific circumstances in each area. In this regard the Minister is advised that Garda figures for the year 2013 indicate a reduction of 11% in incidents of violent crime as well as a 22% reduction in public order offences in the Tallaght sub-district in comparison to the year 2012.

The Minister is, however, conscious of the serious concerns in the Tallaght area arising from two recent violent deaths. Both incidents are under active consideration, with all the necessary Garda resources devoted to these tasks and several charges have been brought in respect of one of the incidents. In the circumstances, it would not be appropriate for the Minister to comment further on the particular cases other than to encourage anyone with information to come forward.

The Minister does not accept the proposition that the assistance of the Civil Defence is required in respect of the policing arrangements in Tallaght or any other area. The role of the Civil Defence, as a volunteer-based organisation, is to support emergency services in incidents such as dealing with severe weather, flooding, major accidents, fire fighting and searching for missing people. Civil Defence members are trained and equipped accordingly and their role does not extend to policing or crime prevention matters. In light of this, the Minister considers that it would not be appropriate or effective to engage the Civil Defence in support of general measures to combat crime. An Garda Síochána, as the national police force, is the body with the appropriate authority, expertise and resources to combat and prevent crime and rightly has the widespread support of the community in Tallaght and elsewhere throughout the country to achieve that aim.

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