Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to use the time allocated to give the background to this issue. I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The Minister has been informed by the Garda Commissioner that as of 31 January 2009, the personnel strength of the Donegal division was 485. The divisional strength is augmented by the resources available to regional and national units, such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda national drugs unit, CAB etc., as and when required.

It is the responsibility of the Garda divisional officer to allocate personnel within his or her division. Notwithstanding this, the level of Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, is continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures optimum use is made of Garda resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the general public.

Significant numbers of additional personnel have been allocated to the division in recent times, including a unit of the divisional traffic corps based in Buncrana and the establishment of a rural community policing initiative for the Inishowen Peninsula. A divisional crime manager has also been appointed to assist in the monitoring and analysis of crime trends in conjunction with the divisional officer and divisional detective inspector in order to prepare specific initiatives and operations to target specific crime types. Additional civilian support staff have also been assigned to the division, releasing members of the Garda Síochána for patrolling and other duties within the division.

The Minister has been assured by the Commissioner that local Garda management, through ongoing monitoring and analysis of crime trends, is aware of the issues being raised by the Senator and the increase in crime recorded in the Donegal division, compared with the same period in 2008. While no persons have been made amenable, to date, for these specific incidents, they remain under active investigation by the Garda Síochána.

The divisional officer has put the following measures in place to prevent, reduce and detect such incidents: additional patrols by uniform and plain-clothes personnel of the area; redeployment of resources, to assist in the identification of suspected offenders for these offences; the dissemination of crime prevention advice to the local community using local media, including radio and newspapers; and local senior Garda management will meet representatives of the local communities to apprise them of ongoing efforts and initiatives targeting this type of criminality, including appealing to the community to report any information on suspicious activity occurring in the area to the Garda Síochána.

Given the geographical location of this Garda division, there are significant levels of ongoing cross-Border co-operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland in identifying crime trends and possible suspected offenders for crimes in both jurisdictions. Border superintendents attend bi-monthly crime meetings in Enniskillen and at Garda headquarters. At local level, cross-Border crime meetings are held on a monthly basis with regular, sometimes daily, interactions regarding individual incidents and other criminal activity.

The Minister wishes to assure the Deputy that both he and the Garda authorities are committed to providing the resources necessary to tackle crime in Donegal and elsewhere. The allocation of personnel by the Commissioner is determined by a number of factors, including population, crime trends and as the policing needs of each division dictate. As already pointed out, the level of Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures Garda resources are used in the most effective way possible.

It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to allocate personnel throughout the force taking everything into account. The situation in the Donegal division will be kept under review.