Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate on a matter that is a priority for me, as, indeed, it is a priority for the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and the Government. Under Topical Issues on 18 October in this House, I raised the spate of burglaries being carried out across the counties of Laois and Offaly. Since then, we have had the terrible crime perpetrated on Offaly man, Richie McKelvey, and I send him good wishes and acknowledge his bravery and that of his sister, who has been to the fore in publicly highlighting the vulnerability of rural dwellers to criminal gangs.

The message I have received from public meetings organised in Cloghan, Coolderry and Banagher is that rural dwellers will not tolerate being targets for criminals. They are anxious but they recognise that individual and community co-operation with An Garda Síochána is crucial in order to prevent and to solve crime. Indeed, the type of criminality we have seen in both rural and urban areas is something we will not tolerate as a society. We need to get that strong message out from the House this evening. The people understand that policing is something we all rely on to keep our society functioning properly. As someone who has been a victim of robbery myself, I acknowledge the brilliant members of An Garda Síochána who provide calm reassurance to victims and make every effort to solve the crime.

In order for us to prevent and combat this type of activity, we must all agree that co-operation between our communities, local authorities and members of An Garda Síochána is essential. I acknowledge the community text alert groups that are being established, many as a result of local burglaries. However, I advise local communities not to wait to have such an experience, but to establish one as a preventative measure as there are financial supports available to these invaluable local groups as an important measure in support of crime prevention in rural communities.

Many communities in my own home county of Offaly are active in using the system for crime prevention and I commend the excellent work of the people involved in helping to safeguard our local communities.

I know as well as anyone the positive impact that text alert groups are having on rural communities and I am aware of the work being done by groups in Offaly and Laois in tandem with the hard work of local gardaí. An important tool for the fight against crime in rural communities is the programme for Government's commitment to supporting and prioritising community crime prevention, including text alerts. The Garda text alert scheme provides an additional and effective means for gardaí to communicate crime prevention information to local communities. Since it was launched in September 2013, it has grown quickly, with a total of 164,000 subscribers and in the order of 3 million text messages sent annually. Every Garda division, rural and urban, now offers the text alert service and An Garda Síochána has published guidelines to assist in the establishment and operation of local groups.

In September, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, announced that an additional €100,000 would be made available to text alert groups registered with An Garda Síochána to provide modest financial assistance with the running costs that they incurred each year. The text alert rebate scheme will be administered by Muintir na Tíre. Even though the cost of running a text alert group is quite modest, it is appropriate that the new rebate scheme provide some contribution towards the costs incurred by community groups that are working with local gardaí to prevent crime and improve public safety.

Gardaí continue to pursue a range of measures to support elderly and more vulnerable people in the community, working closely with Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch and other community groups. Another policing initiative tackling rural crime is Theft Stop, a partnership between the Garda, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and Crimestoppers. Theft Stop is designed to deter criminals from taking and selling farm equipment by ensuring it is clearly marked with a unique ID and then registered on a nationwide database. The clearly visible serial number should act as a deterrent to criminals. Details and serial numbers of stolen equipment can be viewed by would-be buyers online at www.theftstop.ie. I encourage all owners of farming equipment to visit the website and act quickly to help prevent the theft of these expensive items. Furthermore, I also encourage members of the public to mark machinery and other similar items with their own unique Eircodes. This will expedite the retrieval, identification and return of any recovered stolen property to them and act as a further deterrent against theft.

Deputies will be aware that the commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government is to support investment in CCTV systems at key locations along the road network and in urban centres. This commitment is met by, among other measures, the community CCTV grant aid scheme announced by the Department of Justice and Equality in April. This scheme will supplement the existing network of CCTV systems in operation in the State. For example, there are 35 Garda CCTV schemes, comprising in excess of 500 cameras. There are also some 45 community-based CCTV schemes established under the previous grant aid scheme in operation, providing the Garda with access to 367 cameras. The Garda deploys its own CCTV technology and works with other bodies, such as the National Roads Authority, port authorities, local authorities and private car park operators to access data from their automatic number plate recognition systems as well as CCTV systems operating on the motorway network.

This is all underpinned by significant Government investment under the capital plan of €205 million in additional funding for Garda ICT and €46 million to provide the Garda with high-powered vehicles, marked and unmarked patrol cars, and motorcycles to ensure that the Garda can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community in order to prevent and tackle crime.

I want to acknowledge the work of the midlands Muintir na Tíre development office, which works closely with the Garda, and the IFA in respect of its scheme.

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