Written answers
Thursday, 27 April 2006
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Security Industry
5:00 pm
Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount taken in raids on security vans in each year from 2002 to 2005 and to date in 2006; the number of such cases in which charges have been laid; if he is satisfied that the Garda have sufficient resources to deal with this plague of robberies and to bring those responsible to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15645/06]
Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that the robbery of cash or goods in transit for the years 2002 to 2006, to date, is as outlined in the following table.
| Robbery of cash/goods in transit | ||||
| Year | Recorded | Detected | Proceedings Commenced | Amount taken |
| € | ||||
| 2006* | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1,514,301.00 |
| 2005* | 44 | 10 | 4 | 6,235,992.46 |
| 2004 | 60 | 12 | 6 | 2,456,133.18 |
| 2003 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 1,855,383.46 |
| 2002 | 72 | 19 | 9 | 1,568,572.38 |
| * Figures are provisional and liable to change. |
I am further informed that the recording system in operation by the Garda Síochána does not specifically identify whether a robbery in transit was from a security van or other type of vehicle.
The Garda authorities are satisfied that adequate measures are in place to deal with this type of criminal activity. Operation Delivery is dedicated to monitoring both the movement of cash-in-transit and ATM machines. Operations Anvil and Steel concentrate on targeting individuals involved in the unlawful carriage of firearms and those involved in criminal activities. These operations have, I am informed by the Garda authorities, been particularly successful and have resulted in the arrest and bringing before the courts of a number of persons for serious armed crime.
The recent incidents highlighted to me that despite a good deal of progress having been made a radical lapse in standards has occurred. I have spoken to the Garda Commissioner and the chief executive of the Private Security Authority to discuss what further can be done to ensure that the cash-in-transit industry in Ireland is operating to the highest international standards. I support the decision of the chief executive of the Private Security Authority who has indicated her intention to bring forward, at the earliest opportunity, mandatory licensing for the cash-in-transit sector.
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