Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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151. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps she will take to deal with the increasing levels of rural crime in counties Laois and Offaly. [35772/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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While the official CSO Recorded Crime Statistics for the Laois/Offaly Garda Division do not show any strong negative trends I am of course aware of the concerns that exist about particular crime incidents and the impact of crime generally on community morale.

As I have outlined in my replies to earlier questions, my response to crime, particularly burglaries, in all areas of the country is focussed on two key objectives; strengthening the law to get tougher on serious and repeat offenders and investing in the capacity of An Garda Síochána to enforce that law effectively.

Earlier this year I initiated a broad and urgent review of the criminal justice system's response to the problem of burglaries. This included a focus on interagency measures in relation to the management of prolific offenders, visible policing, crime prevention support for communities, and an examination of legislative issues.

On foot of this review, I published the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill, 2015 which targets repeat burglary offenders through bail measures and provisions concerning the imposition of consecutive sentencing for repeat burglary offending. The key objective of this legislation is to target a cohort of persistent offenders who prey on law abiding householders and clearly have no concern for the damage and distress which they inflict on others. As the Deputy is aware the detail of the legislation is currently before the Houses of Oireachtas for debate and I hope to have it enacted as soon as possible.

I am also in ongoing contact with the Commissioner to ensure that we maximise the enforcement of all relevant laws in this area, by providing An Garda Síochána with the appropriate supports to take account of evolving trends and patterns in burglary offences. In this regard, the Garda strategy to counter burglaries and related crimes has been coordinated under Operation Fiacla, which has led to 14,672 arrests, and 8,358 charges brought to date. I am providing the Commissioner with the means to enhance this operational response. The reopening of the Garda College for new recruits in September last year and the deployment of newly attested Gardaí during the current year clearly demonstrate the Governments commitment to supporting communities on the front line. We are committed to ongoing Garda recruitment to further enhance our ability to confront criminals and protect the law-abiding majority. 150 more recruits are due to enter Garda College in coming weeks, and, following the Budget Day announcements, there will be a further 600 new recruits in 2016, underlining the Government's commitment to providing communities throughout the country with the reassurance that comes from a visible and determined police force.

In a modern context the provision of policing in rural areas must be focussed on highly mobile and flexible responses to crime patterns and the needs of communities. This will be facilitated by the very significant investment in Garda vehicles and equipment including the €700,000 for new high powered vehicles in 2015, and €1.75m to upgrade surveillance equipment on Garda aircraft. In all, we have invested nearly €29 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012, with 370 new vehicles coming on stream already this year. In addition, the future commitment to supporting an Garda Síochána in opposing criminals in all areas of the country is underscored by the Government's Capital Plan 2016-2021 which makes provision for the ongoing delivery of new Garda vehicles, as well as very significant investment in new technology and information systems for An Garda Síochána, amounting to an investment of €205m over the life of the Plan.

With the benefit of the very significant allocations which the Government is making for Garda resources, I am working closely with the Commissioner to finalise details of an enhanced operational response to burglaries and related crimes, and I expect to be in a position to make further announcements in this regard shortly. These measures represent an investment in the safety of our communities and underscore the commitment of this Government to ensure that those on the frontline in tackling crime, including burglary, have the capacity to do so effectively.