Dáil debates

Thursday, 17 February 2022

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

An Garda Síochána

10:30 am

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the plans for adequate resourcing of frontline Gardaí in the context of the recent upsurge in burglaries and assaults. [8561/22]

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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84. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to fund crime prevention and safety measures for elderly and vulnerable persons. [8562/22]

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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What plans is the Minister putting in place to resource front-line gardaí adequately in the context of the recent upsurge in burglaries and assaults? We have seen numerous incidents across the country, with elderly people being attacked in their homes. We have also seen many assaults on our streets and in our capital city, with people who are fearful to go out in public, especially after dark in many areas. Much of this is down to having enough resources to have community gardaí on the streets, on the beat and out in patrol cars in both rural and urban areas to ensure that people are protected.

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 84 together. The Deputy focuses on rural issues in his question. I might address city centres, towns and villages in my second response. My thoughts are with the victims of the most recent horrific attacks. This happened in their own home. It should never happen to anybody. An Garda Síochána is conducting a criminal investigation. I hope the Deputy appreciates that I will not comment specifically on individual cases. However, I know that I speak for everyone in this House in condemning these senseless and cowardly attacks and the belief that the people responsible need to be brought to justice. We support the gardaí in their work in that regard. Although rare, incidents like these are terrifying not only for the victims themselves but for their families and the wider community. Home is the one place we should all feel safe in, and fear in one’s own home is something that can never be tolerated. I assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to ensuring we have strong, visible policing right across both rural and urban Ireland.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no role. I will outline much of the work that the Commissioner and his team are doing. This year’s winter phase of Operation Thor was launched by gardaí in October 2021 and is designed to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activities, which often increase in the darker winter months. They intend to do that through targeted enforcement and crime prevention activity and information. We all see that and work closely with our crime prevention officers in our own counties and constituencies. This annual focus from Operation Thor has proven highly successful in tackling property related crime since its inception in November 2015. Looking at the figures, in 2015, more than 18,800 residential burglaries were reported. By contrast, in 2021, just over 6,000 residential burglaries were reported, a reduction of over 66% or approximately 13,000 less residential burglaries. We have obviously seen a decrease with Covid in the last year, but we know that in the years before 2021, that number was also decreasing. I think we can attribute much of that to Operation Thor as well as the increased number of gardaí on the beat. While the Covid-19 pandemic was clearly a factor in some of this reduction, there has been a marked and consistent downward trend since Operation Thor was introduced.

The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of more than €2 billion for 2022, which is an increase of one third compared with the funding in 2015. I hope that highlights how much of a priority investment in An Garda Síochána is. The recruitment of up to 800 additional gardaí opened last week, as well as recruitment for 400 Garda staff. This significant investment demonstrates our commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe. The Deputy will be aware of a recruitment competition that we opened last week. I thank the many people who highlighted this and the significant number of people who have come forward to express an interest in joining An Garda Síochána.

In addition to new recruits, the roll-out of the new Garda operational model will support the redeployment of gardaí from non-core duties to front-line policing across the country. The new model will see larger divisions with more resources, increased Garda visibility in communities, a wider range of locally-delivered policing services and a strong focus on community policing. It is the five divisional model. There will be one with a specific focus on community policing. I think Members can all appreciate, recognise and acknowledge how important it is to have community police officers and how much engagement they have with older communities to reassure and work with them to make sure that they can keep their homes safe.

Budget 2022 also allocated €12 million for investment in the Garda fleet, which is extremely important for rural Ireland. It means we have more high visibility policing in our towns and cities, as well as rural parts of the country. This continued investment is to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a more fit-for-purpose fleet and it can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads. There are many small back roads in Ireland that we have to cover too.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I understand that it is a difficult task, particularly in rural areas, where there is a large geographic area that gardaí are trying to patrol to keep people safe. That said, the consensus that I get from the feedback from communities, and I am sure that other Deputies have the same experience, is that people feel vulnerable. When an incident such as this happens, it heightens that sense of vulnerability. I acknowledge that, in Ireland, we generally have safe communities. We need to say that too. People generally are safe and feel safe. The case of Tom Niland in Sligo was an extreme example. It worries and alarms people. They wonder what can happen next. They are fearful when they hear a car, when there is a knock on the door, or when anything like that happens. We have to ensure that we put measures in place to protect people in their homes. We also have to look for measures which will be greater deterrents and to have better detection to assist gardaí. One issue here is that the same people carry out many of these raids again and again. Gardaí do not seem to be able to get a grip on it in many cases.

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy's comment that when something like this happens, particularly when an elderly person is living at home, there is fear about it. There is an onus on all of us to make sure that we do not exaggerate or create a greater fear. Something like this is rare. It is horrifying and terrible for the people it happens to and we need to make sure that those who perpetrate it are brought to justice. We also need to make sure that we speak to our communities, that older people do not feel vulnerable in their homes and that there is communication within An Garda Síochána in local areas to make sure that it links in with those who are vulnerable and living on their own.

In that regard, the more gardaí we have in our divisions and the more we have out policing, away from desk duties, the more they can engage with people on the ground. Again, since 2015, 800 gardaí have been freed up because of the introduction of civilian staff. That has been hugely successful. I have mentioned the figures. A reduction in the number of reports of burglaries to just over 6,000 last year is a significant reduction, and we can refer that back specifically to Operation Thor. There is always more we can do, however, and there is an onus on us as public representatives to reach out to our communities and to make sure that where there may be a lack of information or engagement on the ground, we play our part. I stress, however, that these incidents are rare. We need to make sure we do not create a fear out there because it is very difficult for those who are living on their own in particular.

10:40 am

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I understand that but I turn to another side of this, which is the issue of people's trust in An Garda Síochána and trust that they will get a response when they look for one. I think of the incidents of assault we have seen recently. I am conscious of the case of Alanna Quinn Idris in Ballyfermot, which was probably one of the most extreme cases we have seen recently. There have been others in a similar vein. Many people, particularly those in urban areas, tell me there is great fear out there and that when they ring 999 they do not get an answer. That is, I think, one of the issues that has really frightened many people on another side of this issue. We know now, from some of the research that has been done, of a number of cases. In one case a woman was raped and was afraid the rapist would come back. She rang 999 and got no response. The seriousness of that incident and others like it is really damaging to people's confidence in An Garda Síochána and their confidence that the justice system will respond and work for them. There is a big job of work to be done to restore that confidence and to ensure not only that people will get responses to 999 calls but also that they feel that the Garda will be there for them when they need it and that they are not just an emergency service but a service to protect them all the time.

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In response to the Deputy's last comment, I think that, more in the past two years, people have seen just how proactive An Garda Síochána is, including in responding to emergencies and crimes as they occur and in the proactivity with which it has responded through Covid-19, reaching out to communities and looking at domestic violence. It is a fact that An Garda Síochána actively went back to people who had been victims previously to make sure they were okay. It is very clear that the work the Garda does is not just responsive but proactive engagement.

I wish to reassure everybody that if they call 999 they will get a response. Issues arose that have clearly been highlighted in recent reports, and structures are being put in place to make sure that incidents involving callbacks and so on that occurred do not happen again.

To comment on the focus on towns and our city centres, Dublin alone, through Operation Citizen, has seen an increase of 500 garda hours per week on top of the gardaí who were already patrolling the streets at the weekend. We have more than 100 gardaí patrolling in that regard, and that is directly in response to concerns people have raised during Covid-19, when there were fewer people on the streets, people were more visible and assaults and other incidents may have been happening. In response to that, the Garda has responded very well. Of course, there will always be issues that arise but, in general, people need to have confidence in the Garda, and I genuinely believe they do.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I understand that, and there is general confidence that people will get a response in time, but that is shaken when incidents such as I have described happen. I am also aware that there has been an increase in muggings, particularly in the city centre after dark. A great many people out there, particularly women going home from work on these dark evenings, are very fearful and frightened and do not see gardaí standing on the street corner and do not see the patrols out as much as they would like to see them. That is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with.

The broader issue here is down to having more community gardaí on the beat and making sure that there is a quicker response time, that we have better detection, that we have better deterrents in place and that we have protection in place for people in their own homes. We also need to have protection for people travelling on public transport, which is another issue I have raised with the Minister before and which I keep hearing is one of the key problems people have when they are at a DART station, on the Luas or in places like that. They see people using and selling drugs. There is an aggressive atmosphere, and it is very fearsome for people. It is an area that really needs action.

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In response to two specific points the Deputy has raised, in areas in certain parts of the city that people feel are less safe at night, there are particular operations in place. From 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. there are specific gardaí allocated along our boardwalks and in certain other areas where we know there has been an increase in recent times in assaults and where people, in particular women on their own, do not feel safe walking.

As for trains and our public transport, again, there has been a specific targeted response from An Garda Síochána. We have increased garda numbers, in particular at weekends. Unfortunately, that is mainly when these incidents occur but, obviously, they do not occur just at the weekends but at night as well. The Garda is responding to concerns that are being raised. I have said to the Deputy before that where issues persist or where the response is not strong enough, the Garda Commissioner is always willing to look at where he can expand and strengthen the work already being done. In general, however, the response is about more gardaí and greater visibility. The 800 additional gardaí we will have this year, on top of the 400 civilian gardaí, will open this up and allow more front-line gardaí out on the beat. There is also the investment in cars, bicycles and other types of equipment, which is extremely important in addressing many of the issues the Deputy has raised and in making sure that people not just are safe in our towns and villages but feel safe, because often part of the fear and the concern is that they do not feel safe.

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I accept that much is being done, but the issue is that people's experience when an incident happens can often be quite negative and they do not feel that there is fast enough a response. They do not feel that the protection is there in their community for them. Going back to examples in rural Ireland, I have had cases in which people have told me they have rung the Garda where they have come home and discovered their house burgled and it has been hours before anybody arrived because the Garda was so busy, there were only three patrol cars in the area, all of them were away somewhere else and it took time to get those issues dealt with. At weekends, in some of our provincial towns, where we are reopening up the economy, including the night-time economy, there are stresses and serious pressure on the Garda to be there to provide an adequate service for everyone across the community.

The real issue of my question is adequate resourcing. Adequate resourcing is not just the number of gardaí; it is the equipment they have and their ability to respond quickly and to ensure they do a job that reassures people that we are going to get the delivery of a proper justice system.

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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To reassure the Deputy and colleagues again, an investment of more than €2 billion, an increase of a third in less than six years, shows the commitment that is there to An Garda Síochána. It represents more than 60% of my justice Vote in total, so, obviously, there is a huge amount of investment overall going into An Garda Síochána, in personnel, equipment, cars, bicycles and the types of IT they need. There will be significant investment made in IT over the years to come in order to make sure that the Garda is as modern as possible and is able, like the rest of us, to use the types of equipment and technology to do their work in a much quicker, a more efficient and a more effective way. Much of this is about gardaí on the ground and on the beat. I sincerely hope that in the year ahead we will be able to reach our target of 15,000, particularly with the 800 new recruits, a resource which has been opened up only in the past week.