Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if recorded crime statistics for County Galway are an accurate reflection of the reality of crime in the area; if all Garda stations in County Galway have access to the PULSE system; if not, the details of the stations without access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34725/16]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if recorded crime statistics for County Galway are an accurate reflection of the reality of crime in the area; if all Garda stations in County Galway have access to the PULSE system; if not, the details of the stations without access; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Crime statistics are compiled by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, based on PULSE data. The statistics for the Galway Garda division reflect all crime incidents recorded by An Garda Síochána for that county. The Deputy will be aware that in the most recent CSO figures, for the second quarter of 2016, there were decreases in many crime categories. This reflects the success of the concerted Garda drive against crime being implemented under Operation Thor. InGalway Garda division, the figures show a reduction in burglary of 17%.

The quality of crime statistics is an international and national issue. When the Garda Inspectorate reported on it, I met with the CSO and I asked it to do some work on the quality of crime statistics. I know it is an independent body but I was very happy to see them do that work. They have produced two reports. The first was in June 2015 and there was another one more recently. That showed that the estimated impact of the issues identified in the Garda Inspectorate report in relation to recorded crime is substantially less than in the first review. Progress has been made in relation to the quality of crime statistics. We need to continue to examine it and keep a strong focus on it. The CSO will continue to monitor it, but it is going in the right direction.

I wish to pick up the second part of the Deputy's question, which is very important. Most crime incidents are recorded via the Garda information services centre, GISC, which is located in Castlebar. It is an around-the-clock service that enables gardaí to phone in details of a crime incident to specifically-trained staff to facilitate its correct recording and classification on PULSE. The lack of access to PULSE in a particular Garda station should not prevent the accurate recording of crime data. In fact, the latest information from the Garda authority is that 92% of all crime incidents are recorded via GISC, with the balance being recorded by gardaí directly on PULSE. It is very important that I am clear with Deputies who raise this issue as a number of Deputies have raised it. A total of 92% of the recording is done via the 24-hour services in Castlebar.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Some of the issues raised by the Garda Inspectorate concerned the need for procedures to ensure that the recording of crimes through GISC is maximised. As part of the work to implement the Garda Inspectorate’s very broad ranging recommendations, An Garda Síochána has implemented new measures to improve data quality, including a new incident recording process. This, together with important upgrades of the PULSE system during 2015, is supporting the improvement of Garda crime data as well as procedures for the supervision of investigations.

It will take time for the full effect of the upgrading of Garda systems to be reflected in the crime statistics. In this regard, I understand that the CSO intends to provide further analysis of crime data quality in due course which will help us to gauge, at that stage, how successful the ongoing work to achieve improvements in our crime statistics has been.

For its part, the Government remains committed to supporting this work and this is underlined by the investment of €330 million, including €205 million under the capital plan, in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021.

In relation to the specific question of PULSE access for Garda stations, as a number of Deputies have sought similar information in relation to various counties, I propose to provide those Deputies with a table with this information and to include the table in the record of this debate.

I might add that the question of enhancing rural access to the Garda network is being examined as part of the Garda Síochána Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021. This includes plans to introduce mobile technology solutions to enable operational Gardaí to access core information systems, including PULSE, while on duty and away from Garda stations. However, as I have explained, the availability of PULSE in a given Garda station is not a prerequisite for the accurate recording and classification of crime data.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Yesterday, I was at the joint policing committee in Galway. The report was very positive, except that domestic violence was up by 16%. In the Galway division, there are 20 Garda stations that do not have immediate access to the computerised system. When are we looking at upgrading the system? Are there plans in the programme for Government or in the future to upgrade all Garda stations in order that when a garda returns to his base, he or she has the opportunity to access the system? When we look through the CSO report, it is not very complimentary of the service. In actual fact, it is quite the opposite. It shows that 17% of all offences were logged on calls but are not up on PULSE. In another example, 40% of public order incidents also go through on the call system but are not on the PULSE system. It is contradictory. I welcome the Tánaiste's comments as to the progress in the future.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have two points to make on that. The CSO's analysis concluded that, notwithstanding the issues identified by the inspectorate, the data available on PULSE was of sufficient quality to allow publication. That is really important and came from the CSO itself. On the question of PULSE access for Garda stations, quite a number of Deputies have sought similar information in relation to various counties. I am providing those Deputies with a table with information to be included in the record of this debate. Deputy Rabbitte will have access to that. The question of enhancing rural access to the Garda network is being examined as part of the modernisation programme. This includes plans to introduce mobile technology solutions and to enable operational gardaí to access core information systems, including PULSE, while on duty and away from Garda stations. As well as developing the PULSE system in the various Garda stations, it is the development of mobile technology that is the future in terms of gardaí both accessing and recording information on the PULSE system, as we see in other jurisdictions such as in New York or other countries.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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It is very welcome to hear that An Garda Síochána is coming into the twenty-first century in certain aspects by bringing the system onto a mobile phone or whatever mechanism in order that gardaí can record crimes on the spot. I believe that is where we need to be going. Does the Tánaiste have a plan, timeframe or schedule of works on the specific aspect she has documented?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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There has been a Government decision to allocate almost €300 million to upgrading technology. There is a very big programme in that regard. That money will also be used to make sure that we have interoperability of databases, for example, in security and terrorism, and that we can work effectively with other countries. The money will also be used on mobile technology and on upgrading the PULSE system. I make the point again: the availability of PULSE in a given Garda station is not a prerequisite for the accurate recording and classification of crime data. I believe that is a key message in response to the Deputy's question.