Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne. It is important to say that often Ministers make commitments before Topical Issues are tabled and cannot change them. That is why I am here.

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising these issues in the House today. Rural communities deserve to be, and to feel, safe. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of An Garda Síochána or the Department of Justice but is a whole-of-Government responsibility. The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, whether they live in, work in or are just visiting a community are safe and feel safe and can enjoy all that the community has to offer.

High visibility policing is a crucial element in improving feelings of safety in communities. As the Deputy will be aware, An Garda Síochána has been allocated a record €2.14 billion for 2023. This funding includes provision for the recruitment of up to 1,000 new Garda trainees and more than 400 civilian staff in 2023. Budget 2023 also includes a €5 million increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána to over €100 million. These budgetary measures will support high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Deputy will appreciate, of course, that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of Garda business and for determining the deployment of An Garda Síochána resources throughout the State. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends to ensure their optimal use.

The Deputy may be aware that on 30 September An Garda Síochána launched this years' winter phase of Operation Thor, the Garda operation designed to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight in winter months. Since Operation Thor was first introduced in 2015, burglary and related offences have steadily declined and figures show that there has been a 36% reduction in the rate of such offences when compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019. To date this year, there have been 6,100 residential burglaries reported, compared to 10,297 during the same period in 2019.

The Department of Justice is also delivering a range of measures, under its Justice Plan 2022, to improve community safety across the State including three pilot local community safety partnerships that will build upon the existing joint policing committee, JPC, structures to provide a modern, fit-for-purpose forum for community safety concerns. The partnerships have a broader membership than the existing JPCs, including youth, new communities, voluntary sector and State agencies such as An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Tusla and others. Nationwide roll out of the partnerships is scheduled for January 2024. The Department is also drafting new legislation, including the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, which represents the largest reform of policing in the State in a generation and will give effect to many of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Another measure is the community safety innovation fund, which has an initial outlay of €2 million this year, increasing to €3 million under budget 2023. This fund will encourage the development of innovative ways to improve community safety from the people who best understand local community safety needs. The Department also published a rural safety plan, which is available on gov.ie/justice. The plan, which was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, at this year's National Ploughing Championships strengthens and enhances community safety initiatives.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Justice is in contact with the Garda Commissioner on an ongoing basis in relation to concerns relating to criminal behaviour and community safety Indeed, she met him only yesterday, 11 October, accompanied by her colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne and she will continue to prioritise this continual engagement. I will raise the items that Deputy Cahill has raised here today with the Minister, namely, the lack of a chief superintendent in Tipperary and the trespass laws in the context of illegal hunting.

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