Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We support the motion. I thank its proposers for tabling it. The issue of rural crime affects people in practically every part of Ireland because Ireland is largely a rural country. In many of our towns and villages, even reasonably-sized towns, we have issues with crime, especially with burglary. That affects many people living in rural areas in a very negative way. When a house is burgled in one part of a parish, it creates serious fear, particularly among older people, everywhere in that parish. I have experienced it in my parish as I am sure nearly everyone who lives in rural Ireland has. This motion suggests that we need a task force on crime to bring all the elements together to look at this issue. That is a very good idea. We need to recognise that it is not only the gardaí that will have to respond to this. Communities across the country have found that, while things have improved somewhat in recent times, they have in the past had to step up to the mark, form text alert services and community alerts, trying to do something to protect themselves and their community.

The bail law has a significant impact on this issue. As Deputy Ó Laoghaire said, in many cases the people that engage in some of these crimes are already on bail, sometimes several times. It is not so much about the law as the implementation of it and what is going on in our court system. We need to get a grip on this, particularly with the kind of crime that most people are most fearful of when living in rural areas, where one is talking about somebody breaking into an old person's house and robbing him or her or stealing machinery. In many cases, when the culprits are caught, we find that they are repeat offenders and that they have been on bail several times while they carried out other crimes. The issue of additional funding, particularly for text alert and other schemes, really needs to be looked at. It has a significant positive impact on the community because it means that people in the community feel that they can respond themselves. It gives them confidence in themselves and in their area.

In most parts of rural Ireland, thankfully, crime rates have been very low and they have been very safe places to live. We want to send that message that it is a safe place to live. It is a safe place for people to settle and live in in general. It is because it has traditionally been so safe that when these things happen, people's fear is raised to such a high level. We need to make sure that we continue to ensure that these are safe places for people to live and operate. Small businesses are particularly impacted by crime. I was speaking to a person in business recently, in a small local town. He tells me that he cannot count the number of times his shop has been robbed over the years. Shoplifting is a serious problem. Some people who he knows do it all the time yet he is fearful to approach them. There is an element of intimidation in some of the gangs carrying out these kinds of operations. In many cases, for whatever reason, the local community, especially businesspeople, feels that the gardaí are not acting strongly and forcefully enough and doing enough to prevent this kind of crime from happening.

We absolutely support the essence of the motion. It is unfortunate that the Government has chosen to table an amendment to this motion to try to water it down. The amendment is basically saying that we are doing a great job and that everything is hunky-dory. I am sure all of the backbenchers in Fine Gael know that is not the view of people on the ground. There are problems and the Minister and Government need to face up to them and put the investment in place in the Garda Síochána to resolve them.

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