Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me time to speak on this important issue that resonates with many people within and outside this Chamber. Many Members present have spent a number of recent months - or in my case, years - calling door to door, where they have heard at first hand the views and opinions of residents in their constituencies on the feeling of not being safe in their own homes. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, crime is a serious concern for my constituents, particularly house break-ins, theft of vehicles and anti-social behaviour. I suspect many Members heard similar views during their canvasses. Having one's home broken into is one of the most invasive and disturbing things that can happen to anyone. I am familiar, from personal experience through a family member whose house was recently burgled, with the feelings of disgust and violation at the invasion of one's home, that someone has been going through one's private possessions and the feeling of shock in the pit of one's stomach that is hard to get past. In addition, there is the mess burglars make, the cost of repairs and replacement of items taken and the worry about any repeat attempts against one's home that may occur. I do not wish to see anyone who has suffered at the hands of burglars live in fear. I compliment the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, on initiating a review of the criminal justice systems in February 2015 in response to the problem of domestic burglaries. The last Government was not the Administration that closed down Templemore but was the Government which, once it had a solid economic foundation that did not contain pyrite, started to invest in Garda recruitment.

I welcome and am fully supportive of the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Act 2015, which will address issues relating to bail and sentencing for prolific burglars of dwelling. In particular, where a person applies for bail in a domestic burglary case, the judge can decide based on certain circumstances and evidence whether bail should be granted. Second, the Act provides that where a person is being sentenced to a period of imprisonment for domestic burglary, the sentence must run consecutively to any sentence previously imposed for prior domestic burglary offences. I believe any right-minded person will agree with these provisions. The forthcoming bail Bill also makes provisions in respect of electronic monitoring or tagging. While this is an area in which significant technical and legal issues arise, it is recognised that the targeted use of electronic monitoring has the potential to be effective as a means of enhancing compliance with bail conditions in appropriate cases. With this in mind, it is intended that the proposals in the bail Bill will provide that electronic monitoring may be imposed as a bail condition if the prosecution applies to the court for this condition. This will facilitate the focused use of electronic monitoring for persons on bail where this is requested by the Garda to prevent repeat offending. Statistics recorded for burglary offences show the total number of offences has been declining each year from a high of approximately 28,000 in 2012 to a figure of approximately 26,000 in 2015. Although the decline is welcome, it does not really make people feel safer at home because these are merely figures.

Some Members believe the closure of Garda stations during the lifetime of the last Dáil has had a detrimental effect on the work of the Garda. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, two Garda stations were closed but the manpower from these stations was redeployed to larger stations in Dún Laoghaire where modern facilities are available. Thankfully, there still are four large Garda stations within my constituency, namely, Dún Laoghaire, Shankill, Cabinteely and Blackrock. Some former Garda stations have been put to new uses, such as the station in Harcourt Terrace which is to become a new primary school. Moreover, the station in Rush is now a home to the Rush Musical Society and the Tidy Towns organisation. In October 2015, under the Garda station building and refurbishment programme, €60 million has been set aside for building new Garda stations and for the redevelopment, refurbishment and upgrade of existing Garda stations. In addition to this investment a further sum of €330 million will be invested in Garda information and communications technology infrastructure between 2016 and 2021. This will allow the Garda access to cutting-edge technologies in the fight against crime. In particular, I welcome the deployment of Garda and community CCTV systems and the automated number plate recognition system as I believe these will be of benefit to communities throughout Ireland.

I wish to speak about Garda numbers. In common with many people, I welcomed the news of the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. Since then, 700 trainees have started the new two-year training programme that leads to a Bachelor of Arts in applied police studies. This was a major investment in Garda recruitment, which I greatly welcome because when Fine Gael took office in 2011, there was no money and the cupboards were bare. Consequently, at the first opportunity at which the country had money to invest back into the Garda, the Minister did so. In her contribution this morning, the Minister for Justice and Equality stated her hope that in the lifetime of this Dáil, Garda numbers will grow to 15,000.

In all constituencies where there are areas of higher crime, these usually are areas of social deprivation. The best way to counteract this is to support the communities in these areas by ensuring there is opportunity for education, training and jobs, and that these are placed as high priorities. There is a common interest for us all in this Chamber as we all want people to feel safe in their own homes. They should be able to answer the door late at night. Many of us know that when we knocked on doors during the recent election, people were fearful to open the door. They came to their sitting room windows to look through the blinds and even then they might not have opened the front door, choosing instead to open a window to ask who was calling. Nobody should feel like a prisoner in their own home. With that in mind, I wish to endorse what the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, has been and will be doing in the coming years.

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