Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Crime is an issue for everybody and is always of concern. I agree that it is important that gardaí are visible in local areas. Following a period of economic constraint, things have begun to move in a more positive direction. The Garda training college in Templemore has reopened, with 600 recruits due to go through next year. These new recruits come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have worked in different jobs for a number of years while others are married with families. Garda recruitment used to be confined to the younger age cohort but that is no longer the case. This gives us a better mix of people wishing to serve in An Garda Síochána.

The issue of gardaí on the beat is important. People love to see gardaí in their communities, on bicycles or walking around. This is part and parcel of good connection with the community. Why would we train gardaí and remunerate them to do their job if they end up walking through communities, not knowing who people are? That kind of connection and communication is really important for gardaí and I am very glad to see that it is now happening all over the country. I know of one location where gardaí will drive their car to point X and then walk around within a couple of miles of that point. They call to all of the houses in the area, identify themselves and obtain information on family members and so forth.

I will deal with the Garda Inspectorate report presently but as Deputy Ó Fearghaíl knows, the Government set about putting in place an independent policing authority which represents the single greatest shake up in An Garda Síochána since the foundation of the State. The legislation provides for the appointment of a new policing authority to oversee the police functions of An Garda Síochána and has been dealt with. The consultations that took place were very extensive and were generally in line with the general scheme of the Bill which was published in November 2014. The Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality considered the general scheme in the course of the pre-legislative scrutiny process and broadly welcomed its proposals. Following its legal establishment, which the Government signed off on today, Ms Josephine Feehily, former chairperson of the Revenue Commissioners, will be the chairperson of the new policing authority. The Minister for Justice and Equality is making arrangements for the eight ordinary members of the authority to be appointed and they will also be designated on an interim basis. These posts were advertised through the Public Appointments Service, PAS. A total of 97 applications for the eight positions were received. The PAS interviewed all applicants and then put forward 17 names for consideration. The PAS has also run an open competition to fill the positions of chief executive and head of legal and governance affairs for the authority and those appointments will be announced shortly.

It will take effect on 1 January.

The Garda Inspectorate's report is to be considered by the committee very shortly. At that meeting I expect to see both the Garda Commissioner and the head of the governance authority, Mr. Olsen. There are issues in the report that need to be teased out and talked about openly and frankly and on which one hopes we can have clarity and agreement about the structure and the strategy.

When I read a report that states there is a lack of confidence and trust among civilians working in the justice system, I want to know if this is true. From my experience of local Garda stations in different places around the country, that is not the case. They work very well with inspectors, superintendents and chief superintendents, as the case may be. Civilians who have been properly trained free Garda personnel who have been trained to do a different job, an issue raised by Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

There is the question of how the amalgamation of districts would work. Within the Garda, from the Commissioner down, there is openness and a willingness to engage in the interests of the community and the job gardaí have to do, which, as we all know, can be fatal and difficult in many circumstances. The committee would like to engage with Mr. Olsen and the Garda Commissioner to follow through on these issues.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl raised the question of Garda station closures. Yesterday I attended a meeting with the chief superintendent for the western region which includes counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Longford and Westmeath, as well as with all of the chief Garda personnel and the Minister for Justice and Equality. It was a very open and frank discussion. Where rural Garda stations were closed, many of the buildings were more than 100 years old and not even acceptable to the local community. The important point is that while the station might close, gardaí will still be in situin the community. However, rather than sitting there for two hours on a Tuesday or a Friday waiting for unemployment assistance forms to be signed, gardaí have the capacity to move through the community to call on older people to give out their cards and so on. In addition, gardaí made the point that superintendents, the real powerhouse in the system, together with inspectors and sergeants, attended community councils on a regular basis to talk to them and ask what the issues were.

It is a point of fact that the incidence of burglaries and crime in the west has fallen, the result of greater visibility in the community. It is also a fact that the Government, with meagre resources which are getting a little stronger, was able to provide vehicles and proper equipment for gardaí and put €200 million on the table for proper IT equipment in order that the TETRA system would work everywhere and the new communications systems would allow gardaí to be available and receive information from communities at first hand.

I recentlyu attended a security presentation by gardaí on the supply of different equipment for houses. A well concentrated and well resourced community text alert scheme is very important in any community in order that information on person or vehicle X or Y can be communicated and responded to very quickly by a community which is alert and vigilant.

From what I heard yesterday from chief superintendents, superintendents and inspectors, the engagement of gardaí with communities is up-front, which is to be commended. That is another matter about which we would like to talk to the Garda Inspectorate in the context of putting together a structure fit for the 21st century, in particular the next ten, 15 or 20 years. I said to the Garda members that it was not just about looking at the next two or five years but about the kind of Garda force we wanted to see in ten or 20 years to ensure it would be capable of meeting the new demands in dealing with criminality, drugs, burglaries and so on.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl referred to burglaries. Operation Thor which has been introduced and provided for has been of great benefit to gardaí who have actually been calling to the houses of criminals who have been convicted and released on bail and, if they are not available or not adhering to their bail conditions, are in difficulty. Obviously, it is a multi-strand anti-crime campaign being conducted by the Garda. It has been in planning for several months and was launched as a follow-on to recent announcements of investment in policing and to coincide with the advent of the long winter nights, which is always a cause of concern. It includes a range of activities to deal with burglars, organised crime gangs and prolific offenders. I heard about one offender, a drug addict who had committed five or six burglaries, who had been put away having been apprehended because of the capacity of Operation Thor.

The measures include high-visibility patrols in identified burglary hot spots. It is not true to say all burglars come from one area of the country. There are also, if one likes, home-grown individuals who get involved in burglaries in their own regions. It is important that communities be aware of this and transmit information quickly to the Garda. High-powered vehicles have been provided for gardaí and there are the new regional response units. I was very glad to hear the chief superintendent talk about the exceptional driving courses for gardaí in order that they would be at a standard much higher than that of the normal driver. There have been efforts to disrupt the stolen goods market and programmes to help reduce the level of reoffending by prolific offenders. A high-powered national crime awareness campaign is also under way. All of these measures are important.

Some €34 million has been invested in Garda vehicles since 2012. Some 640 new vans, cars and jeeps have become available this year, including some high-powered vehicles for armed Garda units. There has been important investment in airborne surveillance under the capital programme for 2016 to 2021. Gardaí are, therefore, being equipped with the best technology and information systems. Some €205 million is to be spent over the lifetime of the plan. This will give the Garda greater capacity to respond to this activity, about which we are as concerned as communities.

The moratorium on the recruitment of gardaí has been ended. Some 550 gardaí have been taken in and a further 600 will commence training next year, all of whom are young people.

The Garda works well with the Irish Farmers Association, Muintir na Tíre and other community organisations. It is involved with alert programmes, in the ongoing work of the metal theft forum, the Crimestoppers campaign, the highlighting of the theft of livestock and animals, the new TheftStop initiative in respect of farm equipment and, of course, the highly successful Garda text alert schemes. These are some of the things that are being done.

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