Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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This is not the first time I have stood in this Chamber to talk about crime. I want to make a few specific points about the escalating situation in County Tipperary. Last Thursday night there was a large public meeting in Moyle Rovers GAA club, which illustrates the growing public concern about the levels of crime and criminal activity.

The first point I want to make relates to the Garda Commissioner's decision to remove a chief superintendent from Tipperary. We have always had a chief superintendent based in Thurles. The county is 140 km long, stretching from Portumna to Carrick-on-Suir and for the Garda Commissioner to suggest that Tipperary does not need a superintendent is ludicrous. Obviously, this will result in a reduction in the resources being deployed into Tipperary because we will not have a chief superintendent fighting our cause at the Garda Commissioner's table. I cannot understand how a county the size of Tipperary can be left without a chief superintendent.

I am sure the Minister of State will say that this is an issue for the Garda Commissioner and is not within the Minister of Justice's remit but at the end of the day, we are elected by the people. For the Garda Commissioner to decide that a county the size of Tipperary, stretching from Mullinahone to Limerick Junction and from Portumna to Carrick-on-Suir, does not need a chief superintendent is just not on. This decision has to be revisited and addressed. My understanding is that the chief superintendent has moved from Thurles in recent days and has been relocated to Limerick.

The other issue I want to raise is our trespass laws. We have a growing problem with people going around rural Ireland and getting up to various activities in rural areas. Gardaí say that they do not have the power to do this or that to tackle it. We need to strengthen our trespass laws. If someone is found on property without good reason, he or she must be prosecuted and the penalties need to be a lot more severe than they are currently. People are going around rural areas under various umbrellas, including walking dogs and so on. Illegal hunting is also going on and is a huge issue. There are gangs with lurchers going around, engaging in illegal activities. They are going around and gathering information which is definitely contributing to the crime spree. I was talking to a man this morning whose tractors were emptied of diesel the other night. Another constituent is being constantly called to by people who are going around the area on leisurely walks. She is so afraid in her home now that she is sleeping in an outhouse. She is convinced that she is going to be broken into and believes that if she is in an outhouse, at least she will be able to get away from these gangs.

We need extra Garda resources and the legislation on trespass must be improved and strengthened. If people are found in a place where they have no right to be, the penalties must be severe and serve as a proper deterrent against marauding gangs in rural areas. In the last six months I have seen an increase in the number of people contacting my constituency offices who are seriously concerned for their safety. We need to start with our trespass laws. Furthermore, having no chief superintendent in our county is ridiculous. Those two issues must be addressed.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne. It is important to say that often Ministers make commitments before Topical Issues are tabled and cannot change them. That is why I am here.

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising these issues in the House today. Rural communities deserve to be, and to feel, safe. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of An Garda Síochána or the Department of Justice but is a whole-of-Government responsibility. The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, whether they live in, work in or are just visiting a community are safe and feel safe and can enjoy all that the community has to offer.

High visibility policing is a crucial element in improving feelings of safety in communities. As the Deputy will be aware, An Garda Síochána has been allocated a record €2.14 billion for 2023. This funding includes provision for the recruitment of up to 1,000 new Garda trainees and more than 400 civilian staff in 2023. Budget 2023 also includes a €5 million increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána to over €100 million. These budgetary measures will support high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Deputy will appreciate, of course, that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of Garda business and for determining the deployment of An Garda Síochána resources throughout the State. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, is assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends to ensure their optimal use.

The Deputy may be aware that on 30 September An Garda Síochána launched this years' winter phase of Operation Thor, the Garda operation designed to prevent potential burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight in winter months. Since Operation Thor was first introduced in 2015, burglary and related offences have steadily declined and figures show that there has been a 36% reduction in the rate of such offences when compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019. To date this year, there have been 6,100 residential burglaries reported, compared to 10,297 during the same period in 2019.

The Department of Justice is also delivering a range of measures, under its Justice Plan 2022, to improve community safety across the State including three pilot local community safety partnerships that will build upon the existing joint policing committee, JPC, structures to provide a modern, fit-for-purpose forum for community safety concerns. The partnerships have a broader membership than the existing JPCs, including youth, new communities, voluntary sector and State agencies such as An Garda Síochána, the HSE, Tusla and others. Nationwide roll out of the partnerships is scheduled for January 2024. The Department is also drafting new legislation, including the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, which represents the largest reform of policing in the State in a generation and will give effect to many of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Another measure is the community safety innovation fund, which has an initial outlay of €2 million this year, increasing to €3 million under budget 2023. This fund will encourage the development of innovative ways to improve community safety from the people who best understand local community safety needs. The Department also published a rural safety plan, which is available on gov.ie/justice. The plan, which was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, at this year's National Ploughing Championships strengthens and enhances community safety initiatives.

I assure the Deputy that the Minister for Justice is in contact with the Garda Commissioner on an ongoing basis in relation to concerns relating to criminal behaviour and community safety Indeed, she met him only yesterday, 11 October, accompanied by her colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne and she will continue to prioritise this continual engagement. I will raise the items that Deputy Cahill has raised here today with the Minister, namely, the lack of a chief superintendent in Tipperary and the trespass laws in the context of illegal hunting.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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The trespass laws most definitely need to be strengthened and not just in the context of illegal hunting. Anyone found on property who has no right to be there should face far more severe penalties. Rural crime is not the only issue in my county. There are also problems with anti-social behaviour in town centres, including Ballina, Nenagh and Clonmel. I have had numerous complaints in the recent past about anti-social behaviour. Our battle against drugs is the greatest challenge facing modern society. I want to see more Garda resources being put in place to tackle this scourge on modern society. I am not here to criticise gardaí. They are doing the best they can with scarce resources. We need more resources because drugs are becoming a huge problem. They have an enormous impact on mental health and, unfortunately, on suicide rates. Anti-social behaviour in towns is a significant issue. Old people are frightened in their homes and that is a situation that we cannot allow to continue. Greater Garda resources and a greater Garda presence are the only way we can hope to combat that fear. I thank the Minister of State for her reply but we have a serious hill to climb.

We have to address these issues. We have to tackle drug abuse and those dealing in drugs. We have to face up to it. It is now an issue at every crossroads. In the past drugs were an issue only in the major urban centres but that day is long gone. The abuse of drugs is happening in every corner of our country. I want to see greater Garda resources put in place so we can really get to grips with the situation and bring to justice those who are profiting from people's misery and making serious money from it and bring the full brunt of the law to bear on them.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy again for raising the issue. As I have already outlined, the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs. We had an unprecedented allocation of more than €2.1 billion in budget 2023. Garda numbers are at the highest level with 14,283 members and 3,117 whole-time equivalent Garda staff nationwide as of 31 August. Since the lifting of the moratorium on Garda recruitment in 2014 a total of 4,000 new Garda recruits have attested and been assigned mainstream duties nationwide. I can confirm to the Deputy that the Tipperary division has, as of 31 August, which is the latest date for which figures are available, 399 members of all ranks assigned. This is an increase of more than 12% since the end of 2015 when there were 354 members assigned to the division. In the period from 2017 to 31 August 2022, 875 Garda members have been reassigned to operational roles under a Garda reassignment initiative. A further 306 posts have been identified as suitable for civilian roles and redeployment. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, welcomes the progress, which demonstrates An Garda Síochána's ongoing engagement on the programme for Government commitment to remove gardaí from non-core duties to allow them to focus on policing matters, thereby prioritising visible policing in rural and all communities as the Deputy has mentioned.