Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her policy on rural policing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35190/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Tackling rural crime and burglaries remains a top priority for the Government and for An Garda Síochána. I am in close contact with the Garda Commissioner to ensure that the policing response is effective and that Garda operations take account of evolving trends and patterns in burglary offences, both in rural and urban areas.

In recent times, Garda strategy to counter burglaries and related crimes has been co-ordinated under Operation Fiacla, which is a national operation targeting burglary by using an intelligence and analysis-led approach. In support of Operation Fiacla, there are burglary related operations in place in each Garda Division.

Special targeted patrols have been implemented with the assistance of Garda National Support Services against criminal groups. These arrangements have also targeted the use of motorways by criminal gangs and have contributed to the arrest of a number of high-priority suspects.

The sustained Garda response under Operation Fiacla has produced many successes in disrupting those involved in this type of criminal activity. As of 31 August 2015, Operation Fiacla had led to 14,381 arrests, with 8,181 persons charged.

This Government has been determined to ensure that An Garda Síochána has the resources to deliver highly-mobile and responsive Garda patrols in both rural and urban communities. Since 2012, we have invested almost €29 million in renewing the Garda fleet to support front line Garda responses. So far this year 370 new vehicles have come on stream including new specialised vehicles. I informed the House today that I have secured an allocation of a further €5.3m to An Garda Síochána for the purchase of a further 260 vehicles between now and the end of the year. This new investment will provide the Gardaí with additional high powered vehicles, marked and unmarked patrol cars, cars for surveillance and covert operations, motor cycles for high visibility road policing and vehicles for public order policing. This investment in a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose Garda fleet will continue under the Government's Capital Plan 2016-2021 which provides an additional €46 million for new Garda vehicles over the life time of the Plan. The increased budget allocation for 2016 will also facilitate additional funding for Garda surveillance, special operations and targeted, intelligence-led policing.

This substantial level of investment will be accompanied by the continued renewal of Garda personnel with 600 new Garda to be recruited next year on top of the 550 to be recruited by the end of this year. The totality of this investment will ensure that Gardaí have the necessary tools and manpower to tackle the scourge of highly-mobile criminal gangs and to disrupt crime, particularly burglaries, across both rural and urban communities.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has considered implementing a farm watch scheme such as those in operation in areas of the United Kingdom which help police combat rural crime and theft of agricultural equipment and livestock by working with farmers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35775/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am of course very conscious of the serious impact of the theft of equipment and livestock and similar crimes on farm families and rural communities.

My response, as Minister for Justice and Equality, to crime in both rural and urban areas, and burglaries in particular, is focussed on two key objectives; strengthening the law to get tougher on serious and repeat offenders, principally through the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill, 2015 which is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas, and investing in the capacity of An Garda Síochána to enforce that law effectively through the significantly enhanced Garda resources which the Government is now making available, including the very significant investments in manpower, vehicles and surveillance resources which were announced on Budget Day and in the Capital Plan 2016-2021.

The Deputy will be aware that as part of the overall package of measures to oppose criminality, the Garda authorities pursue a range of partnerships with community stakeholders, including the farming organisations. In 2013 An Garda Síochána published Community Crime Prevention Guidelines to assist in the establishment and operation of various community and neighbourhood watch schemes. The Deputy will also be aware that there are several other initiatives which have been established in partnership with the Irish Farmers Association, Muintir na Tire and other rural community organisations, including the well established Community Alert Programme, the ongoing work of the Metal Theft Forum, the Crimestoppers campaign highlighting the Theft of Livestock, the new Theftstop initiative in relation to farm equipment, and the highly successful Garda Text Alert Scheme.

In this regard, I am pleased to say that the Budget Day announcements included significantly increased funding from my Department for the Community Alert programme.

While the detail of crime prevention measures, such as the UK example referred to, are a matter for the Garda authorities in the first instance, I will of course be glad to give careful consideration to any further proposals for such initiatives in consultation with the Garda authorities. I am confident that further partnership working can assist in tackling crime and meeting the needs of rural communities, and I would like to acknowledge the value of the valuable work done to date by all involved.