Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus an Aire Stáit. I agree with the Minister 100% that the responsibility of An Garda Síochána is to keep people safe, eliminate crime and eliminate the fear of crime. It is a responsibility of everybody in this House not to exaggerate sometimes low crime figures in an effort to get headlines. In regard to eliminating the fear of crime, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, spoke about the Garda's text alert scheme. Councillor Tom Barry in Listowel has done amazing work in gathering information and seeking to extend to the town the See Something, Say Something text initiative that was piloted in Tralee. The gardaí in Kerry are very keen on the text system but there seems to be a reluctance in Garda headquarters to pay the small amount - I understand it is only €2,000 - needed to expand the scheme and make people feel safer.

The crime figures for the second quarter of the year that were released at the end of September included some very interesting statistics which, no doubt, reflect the overall reduction in the crime statistics as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions and the new policing environment. As with employment, business and economics, the pandemic may have had the effect of increasing the pace of some changes in the area of crime that were already happening and deepening some inequalities along the way. The first statistic I want to highlight relates to domestic violence. If we break the broader numbers down by gender, a trend can be seen in the 9% reduction in the number of crimes committed where women were the victim compared with the 26% reduction where the victim was a man. This suggests that there has been an increase in the incidence of domestic violence. The need for a separate family law court and trained family law judges has become more urgent than ever.

The second statistic I noted was that relating to online fraud. The take-up of online retail is increasing at the insistence and encouragement of the Government. This may make sense to an extent during the pandemic but it disadvantages traditional retailers and the customers who rely upon them. It also creates fertile ground for fraudsters, with older and less tech-savvy people being caught more easily by scams. The statistics for the second quarter bear this out, with fraud, up 7%, being one of very few categories across the board to show an increase. Assuming, as is reasonable, that real-world, in-person fraud has decreased, there is very likely a significant increase in online fraud. Online retail is not the easy solution the Government sometimes makes it out to be. Many elderly and vulnerable people are, rightly, more trusting of their local retailer, who cannot open at present.

The third issue I wish to highlight is that of the statistics relating to drugs and weapons offences. The seizure that took place yesterday in Mountjoy Prison is to be commended, as well as the restrictions which enabled that operation. An ever more restrictive policing environment is enabling increasing detection across the board but it is critical that we do not lose sight of the holistic functions of the criminal justice system. An increasing emphasis on security in our society will not lead to less addiction or poverty. If anything, it is likely to lead to the opposite. For the duration of the pandemic and beyond, we must look at ways of keeping people out of prison who do not need to be there. We should, for example, expand the categories of offences for which an adult caution is an adequate punishment, including for minor drugs offences. The Minister of State referred in his contribution to the juvenile diversion scheme. Given the massive disadvantages of having a conviction for a minor drugs offence, consideration might be given to allowing local superintendents to apply the adult caution scheme in such instances, as was previously allowed to be done, in order that people do not have to go to court. As everybody knows, if one is travelling to the US, the question asked is not whether one has a conviction for a minor drugs offence but whether one has ever been charged with such an offence. That has huge consequences for people down the line.

We also need to look at a proper system of accountability within the prison system. As I said to the Minister at yesterday's meeting of the Select Committee on Justice, the remit of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is supposed to have been extended to include prisons but it has not happened yet. That should be examined together with a prisons inspectorate that is independent of the Minister. I also said at the meeting yesterday that there has been a 60% increase in the use of video links for court appearances. In the same way that the Garda fleet has been expanded, consideration should be given to an increase in the number of prison vehicles. Finally, the Minister mentioned the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. I ask that the implementation of its recommendations be expedited, if possible. Another issue to consider is the small number of paramilitary prisoners - I understand there are 28 - being detained in Portlaoise Prison at huge cost. Maybe talks could take place. Sometimes a couple of hundred prison officers in total have to guard those prisoners. Perhaps talks could take place with a view to reducing the cost to the State of having to guard them.

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