Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if recorded crime statistics for County Westmeath are an accurate reflection of the reality of crime in the area; if all Garda stations in County Westmeath 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. [34679/16]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the recorded crime statistics for County Westmeath are an accurate reflection of the reality of crime in the area; if all Garda stations in County Westmeath have access to the PULSE system; and, if not, if she can supply the details of the Garda stations without access to the PULSE system.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am supplying that information in tabular form. I do not have the time to go through the detail of that in the House, but it will be supplied to the Deputies who ask the question about the number of stations with the PULSE system. Crime statistics are compiled by the CSO, based on PULSE data. The statistics for Westmeath Garda division reflect all crime incidents recorded by An Garda Síochána for that area. The Deputy will be aware that in the most recent crime figures that were released, there were decreases in many crime categories.

There were a few increases as well. Following Operation Thor and the other targeted projects and operations in which the Garda has been involved, we clearly see results. For example, in the Westmeath Garda division the figures show a reduction in burglary of 36%. As I said to Deputy Rabbitte, the quality of crime statistics is a national and international issue. Work is under way in this regard. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, has done two reports on crime statistics already. The second report showed a further improvement in crime recording and classification. It is an ongoing project. The CSO will continue to monitor the statistics that are being gathered.

The inspectorate first identified the issue and then the CSO followed on at my request in terms of looking at the quality of the data. The second review, which was published in September 2016, indicated that the estimated impact of the issues identified in the Garda Inspectorate report in regard to recorded crime is substantially less than was the case in the first review. A strong focus must be kept on the issue. The more resources and training we can give to An Garda Síochána on the issue the better. Many steps have been taken by the Garda in terms of promoting the importance of the issue, sending out information to gardaí and making sure statistics are properly recorded.

Some of the issues raised by the Garda Inspectorate concern the need to maximise procedures to ensure the recording of crimes through GISC, which is in Castlebar. New measures are now in place to improve data quality, including a new incident recording process. We have the upgrades to the system and we have new procedures within An Garda Síochána and the combination of those will mean there can be more confidence in the crime statistics being recorded throughout the country.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Tánaiste. We must be conscious of time.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I accept the Minister’s bona fides when she says that burglaries have reduced by 36% but I have grave reservations about the reason for the reduction and I am concerned that people are not reporting burglaries. In recent weeks I have attended a number of community alert meetings in my constituency. People at those meetings asked what the point is of reporting a burglary because there is no positive outcome from doing so.

I specifically asked about the number of Garda stations in County Westmeath that are not connected to the PULSE system. The Minister said she would supply a table outlining the information. Are all of the Garda stations in Westmeath PULSE-enabled? Perhaps the Minister could indicate merely “Yes” or “No” and if not, why not? If all the stations are not PULSE-enabled, how can the Minister have confidence in the figures she has supplied today?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have already made it clear that not all Garda stations are PULSE-enabled but that 92% of the recording of crime by An Garda Síochána is done in the national centre in Castlebar. It is very important to note that. Not having access to PULSE in the local Garda station does not mean that a crime incident will not be recorded because before gardaí finish their shift every evening, they deal directly with the 24-hour service that is based in Castlebar to record incidents of crime.

As I said to Deputy Rabbitte earlier, the advent of mobile technology is probably the direction in which we will go in terms of the recording of crime, but extra money is also available for the PULSE system. The reality is that there was not investment in An Garda Síochána for several years and money was not made available to address issues such as PULSE, which I am sure were identified by previous Governments. Thankfully, with the improvement in the economic situation, the previous Government was in a position to begin the investment in ICT again, which is so essential. Crime statistics are dependent on investment in ICT and there was a lack of such investment for several years due to the economic situation, but that has started again. I again reassure Deputy Troy that the lack of the PULSE system in the local Garda station does not mean that incidents of crime in his area are not being recorded, as they are being recorded through the system in Castlebar.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I accept that information on crime goes to Castlebar and that the system operates on a 24-hour basis. However, the Minister did not respond to the point I made about some people not having confidence in making reports to the Garda about burglary incidents and that may be a reason for the number of burglaries being down by 36%.

In Westmeath, kidnapping is up by 400%, controlled drug offences are up by 100% and there has been a double-digit increase in the incidence of dangerous acts. There is an ongoing level of criminal behaviour in the region although I accept that the number of burglaries is down. Without question the Garda is doing a good job in certain areas, but there are problems in some communities because new gardaí have not been appointed. During the previous Question Time with the Minister I referred to the fact that areas such as Kinnegad and Killucan do not have the full complement of gardaí and that people do not feel confident in coming forward to report burglaries. I am curious to hear whether the Minister is confident that all burglaries or criminal activity is being reported to the local Garda station and that it is being fed into the system in Castlebar.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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It remains challenging to deal with criminal activity in every society, including Ireland. That is the reality, but I wish to reference something else which is relevant to what the Deputy said in terms of victims of crime in this country. The CSO first carried out a survey in 2010 on crime and victimisation and the most recent survey was published on 19 October 2016. People were surveyed directly rather than relying on reports to Garda stations by individuals on crime. It is encouraging that the overall trends show that crime levels have broadly remained stable or have reduced slightly in some areas since the previous such survey in 2010. When one looks at both the official CSO statistics and the crime and victimisation survey, one sees a reflection of the fact that there is a reduction in crime, but that is not to denigrate the suffering, distress and upset of an individual who has been the victim of a crime and how we need to work continually to reduce crime levels.