Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform further to this Deputy's parliamentary question on 27 January 2009, the position in relation to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9076/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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A reply to Parliamentary Question No. 612 of 27 January, 2009 has issued to the Deputy. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the area referred to by the Deputy is in the Raheny Garda District. Local Garda management is aware of a number of incidents of the type referred to by the Deputy occurring in the area over the Christmas period. These incidents are under active Garda investigation.

I am further informed that crime trends in the area are closely monitored by Garda management and, while a decrease of 11% in overall crime was recorded for the District in 2008, measures have been put in place by local Garda management to counteract the increase in such incidents noted over the Christmas period. This includes additional patrols by uniform and plain-clothes Gardaí and the close monitoring and regular review of patrols.

The Garda authorities have informed me that, as a result of regular analysis of crime trends by local Garda management, roster times for some units in the District were changed to target times when such crimes were most prevalent. Garda patrols in the District are regularly briefed on persons from the District who have recently been released from custody and persons suspected of being involved in this type of crime.