Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Connolly for her question. As she knows, the Women's Aid report was published last week. I had the privilege and responsibility of launching it. The statistics within it are very concerning. There were 32,144 contacts made with Women's Aid services last year. That was a 12% increase on the previous year. I was also aware of the statistic contained within it that 44% of women were not satisfied with the response they got in the first instance from An Garda Síochána. Notwithstanding the fact that the majority were satisfied, it indicates there is an issue in ensuring gardaí are suitably and adequately qualified in responding to the scourge of domestic violence. My own assessment and the advice I have received from within An Garda Síochána and, indeed, from people who are victims of domestic violence is that, once the victim gets engaged with the experts within An Garda Síochána who are extensively trained in dealing with domestic violence, they have a very positive outcome. That is apparent when one considers the response from people outside court where there has been a successful conviction.

Obviously, it is imperative that we ensure there is adequate and sufficient training for gardaí in the whole area of domestic violence and coercive control. I want Deputy Connolly to know that, in phase 1 of training at Templemore, trainee gardaí complete 34 hours of instruction on domestic and sexual crime investigation, with dedicated classes on domestic abuse investigation in phases 2 and 3. Trainees in Templemore receive an online presentation on the basics of domestic violence investigation, where the importance of positive first contact with victims is highlighted. It is also the case that trainees attend an in-person workshop on the Domestic Violence Act 2018 and An Garda Síochána policy on domestic abuse intervention. At the nine-week operational stage, trainee gardaí assume an observational role attached to Garda stations.

There is training but there certainly needs to be greater improvement.

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