Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing my colleague and I to raise this issue and I thank the Minister for being here to take it. In the past two months, in particular - the statistics will not yet show this - there has been a very serious increase robberies and burglaries of houses, and I speak from my own experience in County Mayo. On this occasion, the practitioners are getting more brazen. At least four incidents have been brought to my attention in recent weeks. People were in their houses and the burglars either came in through the front and took stuff from the front of the house or through the back door when the residents were in the front of the house. As the Minister can imagine, this situation is causing grave concern throughout County Mayo.

There have also been a number of robberies of businesses. In one case, the robbery was the tipping point, although not the main reason, which forced the owner to give up. He could no longer carry on and, as a result, a viable business went bust. There has been an increase in robberies in recent weeks in all the towns throughout County Mayo. A number of empty houses along the N5, the main Mayo-Dublin road, where families were at work or were on holidays during mid-term, were broken into. It suggests a very prepared and organised group of people who were observing people's movements and people's houses. This is a matter of serious concern.

Local gardaí are doing their best but they do not have the resources to deal with this. Earlier in the year the Minister established Operation Fiacla as a Dublin and commuter belt response, but it needs to be expanded. We need something similar to the traffic corps where gardaí can respond very quickly to such situations because there is a trend which shows that some areas are being targeted over two or three days. A number of houses in an area are done over a number of days, so a group seems to be spending time in an area or else it is locally based.

I have spoken to local gardaí but their hands are tied in terms of resources. The Garda Commissioner will appear before the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality tomorrow and Deputy Niall Collins will raise the issue with him. There is a fear in communities as we come into the darker period of winter and people feel unprotected. We need to address this as a matter of urgency. Has the Garda Commissioner consulted the Minister or has the Commissioner brought it to his attention? I know from talking to colleagues from all parties that this is a problem throughout County Mayo, in particular in the past two months.

In the context of the budgetary discussions which the Minister is having, would it be possible to consider a scheme where people installing security facilities in their houses, whether an alarm or a lighting system, would get some sort of tax credit towards that installation? It would promote employment and a little sense of security in people's homes.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue because it is topical and was on the front of today's Irish Independent as a result of yesterday's report on the Probation Service and recidivism. On a number of occasions, the Minister has quoted the CSO crime statistics in defence of some of the policies he is pursuing - for example, the closure of Garda stations and the resourcing of An Garda Síochána. That is fine but he has not quoted some of the statistics in substantiating his argument. For example, we have seen an increase nationally of 10.3% in burglaries over the past 12 months. We have seen an increase of 43% in thefts against the person and an increase of 93% in cash-in-transit robberies. The majority of those crimes are being committed in the greater Dublin area.

Unfortunately, behind every statistic is a story of a victim and a family. It is important we put it in context. Of the 28,000 burglaries which took place nationwide in the past 12 months, just over 11,000 of those took place in the greater Dublin area. We need to focus on that and hear from the Minister on yesterday's report on the Probation Service. We were told that in excess of one third of people assigned to the Probation Service by way of sentencing or repaying their debt to society, in particular in the Dublin area, re-offend while under the stewardship of the service. I think the Minister described that in his press statement yesterday as interesting. The victims of crime, in particular in the Dublin area, want to know what the Minister or, indeed, the Government has in mind. When it comes to the redress of crimes. The victims must be centre stage.

The main issue people are bringing to our attention - there are many aspects of the resourcing of An Garda Síochána which we could debate at length - are the response times of an Garda Síochána. That is critical.

I refer to other organisations outside of An Garda Síochána and the joint policing committees. Yesterday, Dublin City Council launched a campaign to raise awareness that most burglaries in the Dublin area happen between the hours of 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Does the Minister feel a little usurped by that or is he happy that local authorities must now get involved to try to promote awareness for dealing with these issues? Will the Minister comment on yesterday's report, particularly the fact that a large number of people who are under the direction of the probation service are becoming serial re-offenders, especially in the Dublin area?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising these important matters. The latest official crime statistics from the Central Statistics Office show, despite what the Deputies say, that the incidence of most types of crime is falling. This reflects well on the work of An Garda Síochána. Nevertheless, the Garda Commissioner and I remain concerned about the incidence of burglary, which has shown an increase in recent times.

I therefore welcome the progress being made under Operation Fiacla, which is running for 12 months initially with effect from February 2012. The operation is the subject of regular monitoring and review by senior Garda management and is focused on identifying and targeting gangs involved in burglaries around the country so as to disrupt their activities and bring them before the courts. Deputy Calleary suggested that Operation Fiacla is focused on the Dublin area. That is not true; it is focused on the rest of the country. One of the difficulties we have is individual gangs burglarising in different part of the country by using our very good and sophisticated road network, allowing them to access areas that in previous years they would have little possibility of accessing or escaping from them.

Operation Fiacla is intelligence driven, and specific burglary initiatives have been implemented in each Garda region to target suspected offenders. In the Dublin area this is given effect through Operation Acer, with Operation Aimsir running in the western region. As of 19 October 2012, almost 2,500 persons have been arrested and over 1,400 persons have been charged as part of Operation Fiacla, reflecting the very substantial efforts being made to tackle this problem by the Garda. These operations are backed up by good community policing and crime prevention advice which An Garda Síochána is in a position to provide throughout the country. An excellent example of this is the recent launch of the "Home Safe Home" campaign initiated by An Garda Síochána in Dublin and supported by the Dublin city joint policing committee, JPC. This campaign advises homeowners on a range of simple but important home security measures. I commend and acknowledge this type of co-ordinated and collaborative effort being made by the Garda, the local authority and others on the JPC, working with the support of the local community. I am very appreciative of the efforts of all concerned in this important and timely campaign.

Similar supports are available throughout the country, with An Garda Síochána working closely with Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch and other local groups to provide crime prevention advice and assistance. Only last week I visited the offices of Community Alert and Macra na Feirme in Clonmel and saw the very good work they do. I particularly welcome local authorities adding their voice through the joint policing committees and others to ensure that the general public provides the degree of home protection they must provide for themselves. All too frequently burglaries occur in locations where there are either no alarm systems or people have alarms but do not turn them on, or windows are left open and provide easy access to those on the prowl in search of houses to burgle.

With regard to the situation in Mayo, I am aware of reports of a number of recent burglaries and suggestions that these incidents appear to be linked. This is precisely the type of scenario which Operation Fiacla is designed to tackle and I have every confidence that Garda management is responding effectively. While the incidence of crime is generally lower in rural than in urban areas, I am conscious of the deep distress which burglary and similar crimes can cause to householders in rural areas and the broader impact it can have in terms of fear of crime in our communities.

I am confident that Garda efforts co-ordinated under Operation Fiacla are making the desired impact and this should be reflected in forthcoming crime statistics. I hope it will also be reflected in the Mayo area in dealing with the difficulties Deputy Calleary described. Ultimately, in dealing with these issues I rely on the operational decisions made by the Garda Commissioner. I believe we will discover in 12 months, when looking back on Operation Fiacla, that it has proved to be successful. Many of those who are currently charged are awaiting their appearance in court. The Deputy will understand I must be careful in what I say about that but I hope those appearances will result in convictions being obtained where appropriate and appropriate sentencing decisions being made.

The Government's commitment to supporting the Garda is underlined by my recent announcement of €3 million funding for new Garda vehicles. This will provide an additional 170 new vehicles which will greatly enhance Garda capacity to provide an effective policing service throughout the country. All of these vehicles should be in service by the end of January and a considerable portion of them should be in service by December. It is the Government's intention to ensure that front-line services are maintained at the highest level possible through the most efficient use of resources. The Commissioner has my full support in this regard and I have every confidence that he and every member of the Garda Síochána will continue to deliver an effective police service in both rural and urban areas.

When I have my further two minutes to speak I will respond specifically on the issue Deputy Collins raised regarding the report published yesterday by the Central Statistics Office.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister to engage with the Garda Commissioner on the situation in Mayo. The incidence has greatly spiked in the last few weeks. We are probably ahead of the figures.

Second, I draw the Minister's attention to the remarks by Judge McLoughlin in Castlebar District Court last week in which he pointed to what he perceived as a difficulty with sentencing. He observed that a defendant who was charged with three counts of burglary was due to appear subsequently in Swinford District Court on two further counts and in the previous weeks had been sentenced to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of burglary. The judge observed that the defendant "went on a crime spree" in such a short period to ensure that he could only receive the maximum of 24 months when all the cases came before the court in the same period of time. The judge put the court into recess and examined what sentence he could impose. He sentenced him to one month additional to the 23 months sentence which was imposed in Galway, and a ten month term to run concurrent with the 24 month sentence.

I am aware the Law Reform Commission is reviewing sentencing policy at present, but this is something on which the defendants and criminals appear to be very well versed. Ultimately, however, it is the person whose house has been burgled who must suffer the consequences. Again, I ask the Minister to engage with the Garda Commissioner about the situation in Mayo, which I believe is ahead of the figures. I welcome the allocation of cars. I called for that when I held the justice brief. I hope the Commissioner knows where to send them.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister mentioned Operation Acer, which has had a degree of success in the Dublin area where it is being trialled. Is it intended to roll that out to the greater Dublin area and to the commuter belt? To date, approximately 200 people have been convicted and a further 380 are due to appear before the courts arising from that operation. It is important to convey the message to people living in the greater Dublin area and in the commuter belt that this operation will continue. Will the Minister address that? Can it be replicated in other larger cities such as Limerick, Cork and Galway, outside the areas where Operation Fiacla is currently under way? I referred earlier to response times, which is a critical issue in investigating crime. The Minister referred to the road networks. The road network being so enhanced affects the greater Dublin area because criminals are so mobile these days.

On the management of the Garda Síochána fleet, I accept that the Minister has allocated an extra €3 million which will purchase approximately 170 vehicles. However, that has been described to me as merely a sticking plaster by some quite senior members of the Garda. Does the Minister believe there is merit in having a five year capital budget framework for An Garda Síochána to allow for proper fleet management? We are in fire fighting mode in terms of managing the Garda fleet. Cars are involved in accidents and being written off and cars must be decommissioned when they reach 300,000 kilometres. The effectiveness and efficiency of the Garda are being diminished by the lack of adequate transport. There is merit in considering the introduction of a five year capital budget that is ring-fenced for the provision of vehicles. What are the Minister's views on that?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Síochána has approximately the same number of vehicles as it had at the height of the Celtic tiger in 2007. By the end of this year, we will have acquired more than 200 cars. Some 42 vehicles were acquired in the spring and 170 more have been purchased since. A considerable number of them will be commissioned and on the roads in December, with the remainder in January. I do not want to give the Deputies any advance news of budgetary matters but I assure them there will be a reasonably substantial sum available in 2013 for the acquisition of additional Garda vehicles, which I am relatively confident we will be able to purchase during the year. There is a perspective on this and it was not a once-off purchase. In the context of the financial legacy I inherited, and the difficulties we experienced, the reason we have €3 million for vehicles is efficiencies we effected during the year. My Department facilitated identifying that sum of money as being available and next year we will have a sum earmarked for purchases.

Operation Fiacla operates across the country while Operation Acer is focused on Dublin. Some 2,500 arrests were made under Operation Fiacla, with 1,400 charges brought. That accounts for the statistics to mid-October, and I presume that, by the end of this month, I will have new information.

Yesterday's report examined those who received an order in 2007. It related to those who were on probation simpliciter or who were the recipients of community service orders in 2007 and examined the extent to which they reoffended. Since 2007, a number of changes have been made, which I hope will show better results. One can look at these results in different ways. The Irish Independent looked at them in a particular way. For people disposed of, either put under supervision orders through the Probation Service or engaged in community service, the recidivism level was 37.2%. Considering the comparators of those imprisoned for the first time, the number who are recidivist over a period of two to four years is actually higher than that. One can look at the figures every which way. Unfortunately, when people are imprisoned or otherwise disposed of, there is no certainty they will not reoffend. This was the first time this type of research has been done. We need more information on recidivism from people who have been imprisoned.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The Minister is over time.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There was a high level of reoffending of those so disposed of who had committed burglaries. The higher category of recidivism was 47%, which meant 53% had not reoffended after that number of years. In the context of the number of people sent to prison or held in detention centres, including young people in the past who were in St. Patrick's institution, the level of reoffending was higher. It is not that these figures are something to celebrate, but they are indicative that when people are disposed of in alternative ways to imprisonment, we may reduce the level of recidivism to a degree.

Much more work needs to be done. The work reflects on those convicted in 2007, during the time when Deputies Calleary and Niall Collins and their colleagues were in the majority party in the House. I am not saying that as a criticism. It is important this work was done and we need to get our recidivism figures down further. Substantial work is being done in the Prison Service in the context of those sentenced to terms of imprisonment. Substantial work is being done by the Probation Service and I hope similar research is done in two or three years time, which may show a lower level of recidivism.

I want to say two more sentences. The case referred to by Deputy Dara Calleary is of interest. While I do not want to comment on an individual case, there are circumstances in which the District Court can decide not to hear a matter and to send it forward for trial in the Circuit Court, where a higher sentence may be appropriate. It is also a specific criminal offence to commit an offence while on bail. That can result in a separate prosecution to those that may have ensued for burglaries committed by someone when on bail for other offences. I do not know the circumstances surrounding the issue but, as a matter of principle, individuals on bail who commit offences should be prosecuted for having committed an offence on bail where prosecution is possible. We are looking at the bail laws and the additional reforms that can be introduced to ensure the public has greater protection when individuals are on bail pending charges being heard in the courts. It will ensure this type of offending does not continue to take place.