Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments and question. A moratorium on Garda recruitment was introduced in 2009. It has now been lifted and 1,200 gardaí have been recruited. The programme for Government commits to bringing Garda numbers to 15,000, which is important. The Government wants gardaí to be mobile and visible and have the facilities they need to do their job. More than €34 million has been invested in new vehicles, including motorbikes and patrol cars, a massive increase on the €4.8 million provided previously. I have spoken to senior Garda personnel, including the Commissioner, and the Minister for Justice and Equality on a number of occasions and they made the point that they were well aware of specific gangs carrying out specific burglaries and travelling to various parts of the country to do so. That is why Operation Thor was put into effect. It meant extra high-visibility patrols, the increased use of checkpoints, the use of high-powered vehicles for regional activities, programmes to reduce the level of offending by prolific offenders, a high-profile national prevention awareness scheme and enhanced support for victims. The Deputy will be aware from the many localities with which he deals that an additional almost €400,000 has been provided this year for the community alert and Crimestoppers programmes. They have developed as an important crime prevention mechanism, with more than 700 local groups and involving in excess of 130,000 subscribers. An estimated 200,000 text messages are sent each month to povide community information on possible criminal activity in different areas.

Every Garda station, rural and urban, now offers a text alert service, and the Garda Síochána published guidelines to assist the establishment of local groups.

I want Deputy Grealish to understand that the Government believes that serious and serial offenders should be imprisoned. They should be imprisoned. That is why the Tánaiste has asked the Attorney General to work on this legislation during the summer break to deal with a bail Bill. That will allow for refusal of bail in respect of repeat offenders, strengthen Garda powers to deal with breaches of bail and allow for the use of electronic tagging for those on bail where requested by gardaí or the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP. The changes that have been made in terms of investment in Garda facilities and the changes that are coming in terms of the legislation, where repeat offenders can be refused bail, Garda powers are enhanced and, if necessary, electronic tagging will be introduced, are also an important deterrent in dealing with a system that has been out of hand in locations throughout the country. I am glad that Operation Thor is bringing that to heel, as it were.

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