Gabrielle McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak on an issue which is of huge concern to communities but also one which the Government and the Minister for Justice and Equality are taking a very proactive role in addressing.

The burglary of a person’s home is a very serious offence and can be extremely traumatic for the victim. Last weekend, I bought my Sunday newspaper for the very last time in a shop in Athlone where five generations of my family have shopped. The shop's closure was brought forward by a burglary which had taken place some weeks before. Unfortunately, the incident involved the brutal assault of the shopkeeper. Gardaí are following a very definite line of inquiry in regard to this crime and, thankfully, the shopkeeper, while badly shaken, was not too seriously injured. However, this is a clear example of the horrendous effects this crime can have on people and families. While this legislation is about protecting the family home, the trauma felt by the shopkeeper and his family was the very same, as his home and shop are part of the same building.

It is hugely important that victims of crime are listened to and I am very pleased that the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, undertook a review of how the criminal justice system treats burglars. When the Minister published this Bill in September last, she made it very clear why it was being introduced, namely, to keep repeat burglars off our streets and to improve the safety of our communities. By introducing this legislation, Fine Gael, which I am very proud to say is the party always strong on law and order, is ensuring strong punitive measures are being put in place to tackle these criminals.

As has been outlined, the new Bill is targeted at those repeat burglars who have previous convictions and who are charged with multiple offences. It is clear that it is the same few who are causing trauma for many, and that the deterrents in place up until now were not enough.

Section 1 of the Bill seeks to ensure that prolific burglars can be refused bail in certain circumstances. This new law will allow the courts to refuse bail for offenders who have a previous conviction for domestic burglary, coupled with two or more pending charges.

Section 2 will insert a new section 54A. This new section will require a court which decides to impose custodial sentences for multiple domestic burglary offences committed within a 12 month window to impose such jail sentences consecutively. I am confident that this firm targeting of repeat offenders has the potential to reduce significantly the number of burglaries being committed across the country. If you do the crime, you must pay the time.

As the Minister has previously said, home is the place where we should all feel most safe and secure. I take this opportunity to commend the work of the members of the Garda Síochána, who are working day and night to tackle this problem. I am glad to say there have been decreases in the incidence of burglary in some areas of my constituency of Longford-Westmeath. However, the fight must continue in order to keep reducing the incidence of this type of crime. Where it is possible, the number of gardaí on the beat should be increased.

I am glad the Government has considerably strengthened the force in terms of providing more gardaí and more Garda vehicles including, as was mentioned, specialised vehicles to deal with highly mobile gangs. The previous Government closed Templemore, starving An Garda Síochána of new entrants. This Government has re-opened the training college, with 550 gardaí being recruited by the end of this year, and I look forward to future intakes in Templemore in the coming years. I am delighted that, in my constituency, 18 new Garda cars have been made available while 16 new gardaí have been assigned to various stations across the constituency. There is always room for more.

Fine Gael in government is very determined to combat all types of crime in our communities and rightly so. Most importantly, we are putting the victim at the heart of the justice system and this legislation is one very important measure in helping to protect our communities from repeat offenders. I wholly support the Bill.

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