Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to deal with the escalation in incidents of knife crime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35216/15]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister comment on her plans to deal with the escalation of incidents where a knife was used? Will she also comment on the issue of knife crime?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that figures provided by the Central Statistics Office show that the number of recorded offences involving a knife has decreased each year since 2010. Notwithstanding these statistical trends, the impact of these crimes is quite serious and I assure the Deputy that I am in ongoing contact with the Garda Commissioner on a wide range of crime and policing concerns, including knife and other violent crime. This is a challenging situation for the Garda every day of the week, as we know.

A comprehensive and robust legal framework is in place with respect to knife crime, including heavy penalties for breaches of the laws concerned.

Under the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the maximum penalty for possessing a knife in a public place without good reason or lawful authority has been increased from one to five years. The Garda also has an extended power of search without warrant in relation to knives and offensive weapons.

Deputy Niall Collins will also be aware that the Garda Síochána proactively targets public disorder and anti-social behaviour through the strategic deployment of Garda resources. The night-time economy is a big issue in the context of the kind of offences that take place late at night. The detective units and divisional crime task forces are utilised to provide a high-visibility presence. The CCTV that is available in Garda stations around the country is used to ensure that gardaí are deployed where crowds are gathering and where there is anti-social behaviour late at night. The increased recruitment will help with that visible policing as well. This is the way to deal with this issue.

Although knife crime is obviously very serious, and can have dreadful consequences in individual cases, it is important to note that the figures are decreasing.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Notwithstanding the trend in the figures from the CSO which the Minister detailed, it is important to point out that last year alone 19 persons died as a result of knife attacks, which is a very high statistic given the population, and that there were 35 incidents in which people's lives were threatened with a knife during the commission of a crime. We know, for example, because we discuss burglary so often here, that many burglaries are aggravated burglaries in which a knife is used, and there have been incidents of car-jacking and other types of theft associated with knives.

The reason I raise it here on Question Time is that there is a subculture in Irish society within a small community of criminals who feel it is acceptable to carry and use knives in the commission of crimes. What I am asking is whether the Minister thinks we need to send out a more robust message about the carrying of knives in public places, which in many instances unfortunately leads to the commission of a crime resulting in death, and whether we need to have more robust legislation, including, for example, the possibility of a mandatory sentence for the carrying of a knife in a public place.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Clearly, the message that needs to go out is that this crime will not be tolerated. Of course, there are very serious individual incidents of the kind described by Deputy Collins, for which heavy sentences have been imposed where such cases were brought to court. At present, the law allows for mandatory sentences where those cases, for example, have resulted in the murder of an individual. I share Deputy Collins's view about such crime. There have been strong public information and awareness campaigns over the years. Indeed, that is something An Garda Síochána could consider further, because we need to continue to get the message out about the approach to this type of crime, how unacceptable it is, and the dangers of carrying a knife in a public place where persons may use them when provoked.

Deputy Niall Collins mentioned mandatory sentencing on a number of occasions. A considerable amount of work has been done on that, both in Ireland and internationally. As the Deputy will be well aware, the comprehensive review of penal policy which was carried out by an expert group, the independence and expertise of which would be recognised by everyone, did not recommend any further mandatory sentencing. I note mandatory sentencing is a key part of the Deputy's approach, but all of the evidence that has been presented to me is that it is not an effective way of dealing with crime, except in very limited circumstances which we have provided for already.