Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Seán Kenny and Harrington for sharing time with me. I have two purposes in speak on this Bill. The first relates to the effect of burglaries of domestic dwellings on people and the fear it generates in the vicinity, which was eloquently spoken about by the previous speaker. The second purpose is to provide some solutions as to how we can deter criminals, who use the motorway network, from burglary, particularly of houses and businesses outside of the Dublin area.

I will speak on the latter first. I am of the opinion that big brother data are not something to be feared. I am okay if there is information out there about people, generated by State agencies for the purpose of detection of criminality, if they are, for the most part, law-abiding citizens who would like to see society developing in a safe and meaningful way. For example, there are cameras on the M50 and at the Red Cow roundabout, the purpose of which is to detect and log a licence plate numbers, which can also be detected at another junction on the road. They can estimate journey times. That collates into software for use in iPhones but it also collates into the expected journey times and the delays one hears broadcast on the radio. That information is currently not allowed to be provided to the Garda or to anybody in the justice system because it is only for use in traffic management. I would like to see a change in the law so we can use that information in the event we have to detect a car that has been stolen or, if we get to such a point, we can detect individuals because the cameras are of such high resolution that they can identify those driving the cars and they can have merit in a court case to be taken against the individual.

I would also like to see such use made of the Go Safe cameras. I have heard stories about how people did not want them outside their houses but now they say it would be wonderful if there was a Go Safe camera because it provides a form of security and provides back-up information, particularly in rural areas. That information could be collated. Ultimately, big data give information which provides the ability to detect and deter.

We all have mobile phones and most of us have them registered in our own names but, unfortunately, the pay-as-you-go system is there to be abused because one can purchase such a mobile phone without having to register one's name and address and those of us who receive nasty texts and everything that goes with that might think that is only a light form of abuse. However, no society should have to tolerate somebody burgling a house in which there are young children and, potentially, tying up the residents and abusing them. There is something a little amiss that burglars can be back out on bail or can do concurrent sentences.

I am not all for long sentences. I believe in correctional facilities but also in a tagging system. If a person is out on bail, it is not a big deal if he or she is tagged. One form of use for the tagging system would be that criminals could be placed under house arrest rather being fed, watered and looked after by the State to the tune of between €80,000 to €100,000 per annum. If somebody has committed a crime, the last thing he or she should be is a burden on everybody else in society. He or she should be tagged and kept in his or her own house and, ultimately, should be responsible and held accountable.

One of the previous Government speakers spoke about the lack of fear of going to jail, that it has become something of a holiday. One hears reports on radio programmes, such as Joe Duffy's programme, of people who will not pay a fine because they will be out of jail before the gardaí even complete the paperwork. That is a crazy system. I accept we do not enough prison places but is there an ability for us to develop as a society? I have many aspirations in this regard. As a Government backbencher, I am not in the most influential of positions but if we do not have solutions and aspirations to try to develop a better society, we will not make progress towards that end. We need to look at how we want criminals and the victims of criminality to be treated but we also need to look at deterrents and why people become criminals and why people become victims of criminality.

There is talk that security systems for homes might be allowed under a grant scheme, particularly outside the built-up areas, such as cities, but there is also the capacity to stop rural crime through a collective, cohesive effort by communities. In terms of community alert, for example, local authorities need to have a role as do schools whereby people are brought in, made to understand how community alert works and allowed to have a sense of belonging to and ownership of an area so they can play a role in helping people have a better and safer society.

While I welcome some of the steps that are being taken, we have a long way to go and can resolve it using technology and a little goodwill from society.

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