Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister. I also welcome the Bill, which has many positive aspects. On this morning's Order of Business, much attention focused on the necessity for a press council following the reportage which took place in recent weeks. Undue attention was focused on the sad incident which took place outside Club Anabel.

Fine Gael recently commissioned an MRBI poll which indicated that one in five people are not reporting crime. It found that one in three in the under 25 age group and up to 40% of students do not report crime, which does not surprise me. I am aware of a recent case in my community where people were ejected from a disco. An innocent guy, who was walking along with his girlfriend, was picked on and got badly bruised and battered. His face turned into a mushy pulp as a result of the incident. Significantly, he did not pursue the case because he was fearful that the people involved would victimise him subsequently. This is a great fear, particularly in smaller communities. As I said this morning, this is something very distasteful which has recently evolved in society. Unlike in the past, people will now resort to kicking people when they are down. The results of the recent survey do not surprise me.

I favour one aspect in the Bill, namely, the fact that there will be accountability to the Committee of Public Accounts, of which I was Chairman in the past. When the Garda authorities and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform came before it, concern was expressed about the awarding of contracts for the purchase of video recorders and tyres. While there was a diluted responsibility for purchasing these items, it surprised me that there was no one with an accountancy background within the Garda itself who could oversee the awarding of these contracts. The Department said at the time that the matter would be rectified, which possibly has happened. It is important that the Garda should be accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts. An independent audit commission will also be put in place. The difficulties expressed to the committee at the time will probably end as a result of the Garda becoming more professional in its financial dealings, which is important.

The recent "Prime Time" programme did a certain amount of damage from a public relations point of view. It is important to bear in mind, however, that just a small number of gardaí were involved. In the case of politics, the political excesses of a small number of representatives brought a lot of odium to the body politic. The few incidents presented on the "Prime Time" programme probably portrayed a bad public relations image to the general public. I relate this to my community in west Limerick where I know many gardaí on a personal level. Many of them are involved not just in policing matters but in local activities, whether the GAA, soccer and so on. Gardaí moving into communities should be encouraged to become involved in local activities, which will allow them to get to know the people living in the community. If possible, gardaí should live within the community, but this may be impossible to implement. If all the gardaí attached to a large station live outside the area, there is not the same ownership as if they became involved in the community in different clubs and organisations, which I encourage.

Recently the gardaí were upset when the DPP commented on the "Prime Time" programme. He commented publicly that, under the Statute of Limitations Act, he was unable to take action in relation to certain cases because the files arrived late in his office. The Garda authorities were surprised at this comment because usually the DPP is renowned for his silence on such issues. It is his privilege to remain silent, but in the case of rape and murder, the general public would often like to know why a case was not proceeded with. I am not sure whether his comments following "Prime Time" helped the debate or the public relations aspect, which is important for the gardaí.

Many people focused on the role of the local authorities, which I welcome. In most communities, whether Roscommon, Limerick etc., a strong liaison between local authority members and gardaí at local level will be an advantage because public representatives have an intimate knowledge of their own area. This also happens in other countries. What is evolving for some time, which is not healthy, is a distance between the public and the gardaí. Involving local authority representatives may help to cement a stronger relationship and help gardaí within the local communities.

I do not like when county boundaries are breached by Garda divisions. I gave an example recently of Galbally Garda station where essentially there will be replacement gardaí. If there is to be coherence between the local authority and the Garda, it is important that county boundaries are not breached, as for example in Galbally The gardaí in that area would have a much more meaningful involvement if, for example, there was a patrol car in Ballylanders, which is two and a half miles away, which could cover a wider area, including Galbally, rather than a response coming from Tipperary town which is in another county. I do not know whether addressing this is a role for the Minister at senior level or if it will be contemplated in the context of the developments concerning local authorities.

I agree with the concept of voluntary police and the village constable in England. I often wonder if these people could be deployed in crowd control because they would probably be more than happy to work in that area. They could be employed to contend with the breakdown of order at sports functions, but how often would it happen on a percentage basis? Resources could be deployed much more effectively.

In every community, such as a town like Newcastle West, where there are nightclubs and fast food premises, there are crucial times for a Garda presence, usually between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. The criticism often expressed in these communities is that there is no physical presence of a Garda squad car at these crucial times. It is impossible to cover every area, but people usually congregate in squares and near fast food premises in towns. Often, the people who live there complain of the noise, the late night activity, the dumping of beer barrels into the river, the smashing of windows and all sorts of petty crime causing concern to the local community. If a squad car was present in the square, with one or two gardaí, one would be amazed at how quickly people would disappear and go home, getting out of the area, whether it be Newcastle West or wherever. Those times and flashpoint locations are known.

I compliment the Minister on many positive aspects to the Bill. I may sometimes be critical of the Minister in the House. I am prepared to give constructive criticism where necessary, but also to pass compliments when something positive is happening. I hope that some of the elements in the Bill will help the police force to make its job more meaningful in the community. If there has been a breakdown in communication between people and the Garda, developments like this will help to bring them closer together.