Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 352: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he can provide Irish research on the efficacy of Garda closed circuit television systems in crime deterrence or detection. [15225/04]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda research unit carried out an internal evaluation of the CCTV systems in Dublin and Tralee in 1999. While the evaluation identified potential benefits of CCTV such as reduced crime and disorder, increased detentions, improved public feelings of safety, more effective deployment of police resources and improved court processing of guilty pleas, the evidence of that particular evaluation was not fully conclusive. This was mainly due to methodological difficulties such as data limitations and a difficulty in isolating CCTV effects from other influences.

The Garda research unit is currently evaluating the effects of CCTV in Dún Laoghaire, Dundalk and in Galway and Salthill. The main focus of this evaluation is on crime and detection levels before and after camera installation. Crime and detection levels are also being examined in Drogheda and Blackrock, which do not have Garda CCTV systems, to assess general trends and possible crime displacement. Research findings will not be available for some time, as the evaluation involves the comparison of data for the 12 month periods before and after camera installation.

I am further informed that two other projects are currently underway. The Garda annual policing plan for 2004 has committed the research unit to carrying out a review of the cost and benefit of extending CCTV systems to all areas with a population in excess of 7,000. The Garda annual policing plan for 2003 provided for the assessment of the proactive use of CCTV systems as a means of gathering criminal intelligence. It is anticipated that both projects will be completed later this year.