Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know I am speaking to the converted. I am aware of occasions when private CCTVs have been a major aid to gardaí in solving crimes and have proved to be important and valuable in court cases. The more CCTV we have, the more crime will be detected and the greater the deterrent to crime. The Minister is determined to ensure that those on the front line in the fight against crime have the legislation and resources to fight it effectively. Her approach is focused on two key objectives, namely, strengthening the law to make it tougher on serious and repeat offenders, principally through the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015, which is before the Houses of the Oireachtas, and investing in the capacity of An Garda Síochána to enforce that law effectively through the significantly enhanced Garda resources the Government is making available.

The substantial level of investment by the Government in the Garda fleet and ICT, accompanied by the continued renewal of Garda personnel, with 600 new gardaí to be recruited next year over and above the 550 to be recruited by the end of this year, will ensure that the Garda has the necessary tools and manpower to tackle the scourge of highly mobile criminal gangs and to disrupt crime, particularly burglaries, across both rural and urban communities.

Due to the level of interest from representatives of all political parties in this issue, there is serious willingness and motivation to take on the problem of rural crime. This commitment and joint approach will help us combat rural crime. The process is ongoing, but I believe a kind of "war" has been declared on rural crime now. With the collaboration and co-operation of all the agencies, I believe this action will be successful. While we will always have some crime, we can better manage this challenge better now. I acknowledge the work of the Minister, but I am aware we cannot put enough resources into law and order and crime prevention. However, in the context of our current resources, the Minister is doing a very good job at getting what she can to get resources for An Garda Síochána and the justice system.