Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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The issue of Garda resources in the Inishowen area has been raised in the Donegal and national media. This is not an argument for increased Garda resources along the Border. As Fine Gael spokesperson on North-South co-operation, I laud the fact the Border is no longer policed as it was in the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s. The fading of the Border should be welcomed and encouraged by every Member. My specific request is for increased Garda resources in a part of north-east Donegal which circulates around the fourth largest city on this island, Derry city.

A spate of burglaries across Inishowen in recent weeks has caused upheaval and great anxiety in every home. Across the area, people are installing house alarms and I have been contacted by many people who are keeping nightly neighbourhood vigils. I have met senior Inishowen gardaí to discuss the matter. I welcome the fact that the assistant commissioner is taking the issue seriously which was reflected in his trip to Donegal last week. I commend the superintendent in the Inishowen district who is taking the issue seriously and the efforts made by the Garda in deployment for the short term.

From speaking to many public representatives in the area, I believe it is time to examine the ethos of community policing in the area. I will use, for illustration, a comparison between the Inishowen area and the greater Cork area. Cork city has a population of 120,000 while Derry's is 90,000. If suburban areas are included, Cork's figure rises to 190,000. However, Derry's figure is distorted by the fact that it does not account for the part of east Donegal that is considered to be a suburb of Derry. In east Cork, there are 22 gardaí based in Glanmire, a 24-hour station, Carraigtwohill has a 24-hour station and 50 gardaí are based at Cobh. In the west, 50 gardaí are based in Gurranbraher, 16 in Blarney and 50 in Bandon. In east Inishowen, Burnfoot has 16 gardaí, Muff, two, Carrigans, five, Newtowncunningham, four, and Carndonnagh, five. There are no Garda stations in Quigley's Point or Killea.

The Inishowen Peninsula is the most northerly part of this island. It is geographically proximate to Derry city, which is the natural shopping centre and university town in the region. Inishowen is part of the Catholic diocese of Derry. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in distributing Garda Síochána resources, must acknowledge this fact and, accordingly, allocate such resources as are necessary for a region which is situated adjacent to a major city with a six-figure population.

I raised this matter over a five-year period when serving as a Member of Seanad Éireann. There is still time for action to be taken in respect of it. In light of North-South ministerial collaboration and co-operation, there is room for progress to be made.

The problem I am highlighting only related to Inishowen a number of weeks ago. In recent days, however, it has emerged that it is becoming prevalent throughout Donegal. This problem, which is termed "creeping crime" by some, will soon become all-island in nature. We must be vigilant and the only way to do so is by deploying additional Garda resources in the rural areas to which I refer. We must also engage with local communities. I acknowledge the efforts of the assistant commissioner and the force in general in examining the nature of the community policing ethos.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform regrets that due to other business he is unable to be present to take this matter. However, I assure the Deputy that the Minister shares his concern with regard to crime in the Inishowen area and is conscious of the distress caused by being the victim of burglary.

The Minister is informed by the Garda authorities that local Garda management is aware of an increase in the number of incidents in the Buncrana Garda district to which the Deputy refers. These incidents are under active investigation by An Garda Síochána. Local Garda management has put in place a series of measures to prevent and reduce the frequency of such incidents and detect the perpetrators. Additional patrols by uniform and plain clothes personnel have been put in place in the areas concerned and resources have been redeployed to assist in the identification of the suspected perpetrators of these offences. Senior Garda management will be meeting representatives of local communities to inform them of ongoing efforts and initiatives to target this type of criminality and to urge them to report any suspicious activity occurring in the area to An Garda Síochána. Crime prevention advice will also be provided through the local media.

There are significant levels of ongoing cross-Border co-operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland to identify crime trends and suspected offenders. Border superintendents, including those from County Donegal, attend bimonthly crime meetings. At local level, cross-Border crime meetings are held monthly, with regular contact taking place in respect of individual incidents and criminal activity in general.

The Minister is further informed that a Garda divisional crime manager has been appointed to assist in the monitoring and analysis of crime trends in order to prepare further specific initiatives and operations to target the specific crime types. The personnel strength of the Buncrana Garda district on 19 February 2009, the most recent date for which figures are available, was 90. This follows the allocation of significant numbers of additional personnel to the district in recent times. It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to allocate personnel throughout the force while taking all relevant matters into account. The situation in the Inishowen area and the Buncrana Garda district will be kept under review. Additional civilian support staff have also been assigned to the district. This has released members of An Garda Síochána for patrolling and other duties.

The Minister and the Garda Commissioner are aware of the needs of areas such as Inishowen. On 26 January they launched a new national model of community policing. This model builds on the success of existing good community policing practice within Ireland and aims to foster collaborative partnerships between An Garda Síochána and members of the community. A comprehensive model of community policing ensures that enforcement will be employed not only to reduce crime, but also to reduce the fear of crime and ensure a better quality of community life for all. In particular, a new rural community policing initiative for the Inishowen peninsula was recently established.

Joint policing committees provide a forum where An Garda Síochána and local authorities — the two organisations that make the most significant contribution to preventing and tackling crime in specific areas — can come together, with the participation of Members of the Oireachtas and community and voluntary interests, on matters affecting an area. A committee has a range of functions and monitors two broad areas. The first of these relates to the levels and patterns of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in an area. The second relates to the broader issue of the factors underlying and contributing to crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. A committee will subsequently advise the relevant local authority and An Garda Síochána on how they might best perform their functions, while having regard to the need to do everything feasible to improve the safety and quality of life and to prevent crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour within an area. Following a pilot phase in 29 local authority areas, including Letterkenny, the committees are currently being rolled out to all other local authority areas.

The Minister is of the view that the committees have enormous potential in the context of tackling the problems of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. He wishes to assure the Deputy that he and the Garda authorities are committed to providing resources to tackle crime in Inishowen and elsewhere.