David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am responding on behalf of the Tánaiste who cannot be present for this debate, unfortunately. She asked me to speak on her behalf. I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this important issue in the Chamber this afternoon. I assure him An Garda Síochána carefully monitors the activities of criminal groups affecting all areas of the country, including County Kerry, and is implementing strong policing measures to disrupt and dismantle their networks. The Deputy will appreciate the Garda Commissioner and her management team are ultimately responsible for the deployment of Garda resources, including personnel, to specific areas. The Tánaiste is advised that Garda management constantly monitors the distribution of resources in the light of crime trends and overall policing needs. The matters raised by the Deputy this afternoon will be taken into account in that context in a very serious way.

Significant resources have been provided to the Garda authorities, including an overtime allocation of €88.5 million for 2017, to support large-scale policing operations, including Operation Thor. The scale of Garda activity against burglary and property crime under Operation Thor has led to concentrated Garda activity, including more than 52,000 crime prevention patrols and approximately 74,300 targeted checkpoints nationwide. There have been approximately 4,400 arrests and 4,900 charges covering a range of offences which, in addition to burglary, have included handling stolen property, possession of firearms and drugs offences. The results are there and can be measured. As the Deputy has said, Operation Thor has targeted mobile criminal gangs engaged in burglary and related crimes. It is encouraging to note that since the launch of the operation in November 2015, burglary figures have shown a significant downward trend. The CSO's official recorded crime statistics for the fourth quarter of 2016 show a decrease of 30% in burglary offences compared to the previous 12-month period. This reflects the success of the concerted Garda drive against crime being implemented under Operation Thor. CSO figures for the Kerry Garda division show that there were reductions of 54% in burglary, 20% in theft and 55% in robbery for the 12-month period of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. This parallels the implementation of Operation Thor.

I agree strongly with the Deputy that people should be encouraged to report all crime. The Deputy is correct when he says it is important for all crime to be reported. Otherwise, we do not know where we are going. I applaud the Deputy for his comments in this regard. As part of the concerted strategy to combat burglary, the Tánaiste made it a priority to secure the enactment of specific legislation targeting prolific burglars in the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Act 2015, which I know the Deputy has an interest in. These provisions are now available to gardaí to support prosecutions arising from Operation Thor. The reduction in the volume of burglaries as a result of Operation Thor will not be indicated in the overall detection rate for burglary. The Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014 was commenced a year ago. It introduced the DNA database, which provides gardaí with investigative links, or hits, between people and unsolved crimes, including burglaries. This powerful tool is now available to the Garda. It is anticipated that this will assist in improving detection rates for burglary over the coming years.

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