Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 226: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals to deal with the number of unsolved murders, gangland killings and other serious crimes committed in recent years in the Dublin 15 area which remain unsolved; his views on whether confidence in the criminal justice system is eroded by failure to apprehend people who commit serious criminal acts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4417/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I assure the Deputy that I consider murder to be the most heinous of crimes. The significant resources which are being made available to An Garda Síochána are being brought to bear in a focused and methodical way on bringing the persons involved in these crimes to account. An Garda Síochána's policing pans continue to target crime, including organised crime, in our community.

All killings, regardless of the circumstances involved, are the subject of rigorous investigation by An Garda Síochána. While the term "gangland murders" tends to be widely used in the media in referring to the nature of certain unlawful killings and speculation in this respect is understandable, this does not correspond to the manner in which An Garda Síochána classifies crime or particular offences. Caution is necessary in ascribing particular motives to any particular incident as, potentially, this might jeopardise the procedures which need to be followed for the proper investigation and prosecution of offences.

Operation Anvil is central to the strategy of the Garda Síochána in combating serious crime and in particular murder. The Operation, which commenced in the Dublin Metropolitan Region in May, 2005 and was subsequently extended nationwide at my request, has proved to be very successful in disrupting the criminal activities of a number of key criminal gangs. It has resulted in a number of high-profile arrests and the acquisition of intelligence on the movements of criminals. Notable improvements have been achieved in the recorded number of incidents of crime being targeted by the Operation. In particular, I am pleased to note the increase of 34% in detections of possession of firearms in the fourth quarter of 2006 which I believe has contributed to the reduction of 3.4% in discharges of firearms. I believe that Operation Anvil has also contributed to the increase in that quarter of detections of offences of possession of drugs for sale or supply which is closely associated with many murders using firearms.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that almost 600 people have been arrested in connection with serious criminal activities in the Dublin Metropolitan Region West Division since the commencement of Operation Anvil. In addition there have been in excess of 6,000 Garda searches, 9,500 Garda checkpoints, and 2,000 cars seized in the Division.

The personnel strength of the Organised Crime Unit at the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation has been augmented to address the problem of gangland activity. Enforcement by the Unit has resulted in a number of arrests, seizure of firearms, substantial quantities of drugs been seized and the disruption of criminal activities.

Recent events, particularly the deaths of wholly innocent members of the public caught up in internecine gangland conflict, have made it tragically clear that what has been achieved already must be built on so that we can protect our society from the dangers in our midst. A Government can have no greater priority than the safety of its people and it is against that background that we have taken a series of decisions which involve a comprehensive programme of measures to ensure that the full resources of the State are brought to bear as never before against the activities of those who have showed a callous disregard for the rule of law.

On 19 December last, the Government agreed my proposals for an unprecedented package of measures which includes:

A further increase of 1,000 in the strength of An Garda Síochána to bring the total to

15,000 over the next three years;

A proportionate increase in the targeted strength of the Garda Reserve from 900 to 1500;

Sanction for 300 additional civilian administrative support posts for An Garda Síochána;

The recruitment of the seven senior civilian posts recommended in the recent reports from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and Senator Maurice Hayes;

An increase in the retirement age for Gardaí, Sergeants and Inspectors from 57 to 60;

Increased staffing for the Forensic Science Laboratory, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Courts Service; and

No limit on funds available for the Witness Protection Programme.

I will also be shortly be putting further legislative proposals to Government. I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the personnel strength of Blanchardstown Garda station, which covers the Dublin 15 area, as at 31 December, 1997 and 31 January, 2007 was 89 and 176 respectively. This represents an increase of 87 (or 97.75%) in the number of personnel allocated. Divisional resources are further augmented by a number of Garda National Units such as the Garda National Drugs Unit, the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and other specialised units, all of which have been allocated increased resources.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 227: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the figures for serious crimes such as homicide broken down by category, fraud, burglary and sexual offences for the Dublin west district; the same figures for the Dublin 15 area; the percentage of cases for all these categories in both the Dublin west district and in the Dublin 15 area for which proceedings were initiated and convictions were recorded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4418/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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Headline crime statistics for the Garda Division of Dublin West are contained in the relevant Garda Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. I am informed by the Garda authorities that crime statistics are compiled on the basis of Garda operational areas and do not correspond to postal districts.

Following the submission to me in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, I decided that the compilation and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act, 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. Following the setting up of the necessary technical systems and auditing of the data from which the statistics are compiled, I am pleased to note that the CSO is now compiling and publishing criminal statistics and has published provisional headline crime statistics for the third and fourth quarters of 2006. In addition, it has compiled and published a series of quarterly and annual statistics for the period starting with the first quarter of 2003. I understand that the CSO are examining how the crime statistics published might be expanded and made more comprehensive.

I have requested the CSO to provide the Deputy directly with the information sought by her.