James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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553. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to provide funding for a closed circuit television network on the N4 route between Mullingar and Longford, including at junctions off this roadway, in light of the increased crime taking place in rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37550/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am very conscious of the value that communities, especially rural communities, place on CCTV. With this in mind, I have instigated a review of the effectiveness of the Community CCTV Scheme in conjunction with the Garda authorities. The outcome of that review will inform future decisions on the continuation of the Scheme.

The Deputy may also be aware that my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, has recently made an announcement in relation the provision of CCTV in rural areas, which is to be funded from the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.

CCTV schemes certainly have a part to play in the detection and prevention of criminal activity, but of paramount importance is a visible and responsive policing service. There is no doubt that this Government is determined to ensure that An Garda Síochána has the resources to deliver highly-mobile and responsive Garda patrols in both rural and urban communities. This Government has invested over €34 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012 with over 640 new vehicles coming on stream in 2015, ranging from more Garda patrol cars to high-powered vehicles for armed units. This will ensure Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive, on the roads and in the community. 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.

Operation Thor, a new multi-strand national anti-crime and anti-burglary operation which was launched yesterday by the Garda Commissioner will make full use of this continuing investment. Operation Thor, which has been in planning for several months, builds on previous and current Garda operations and entails a broad range of activities to tackle crime, particularly burglaries in both urban and rural communities nationwide and criminal gangs using the national road network. A further allocation of in excess of €5 million has been committed to Operation Thor. This allocation, which includes funding for Garda overtime will support a combination of additional patrols, checkpoints, rapid armed response and public awareness measures.

This substantial level of investment will be accompanied by the ongoing recruitment of new Garda with 600 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 the activities of burglars and prolific offenders, and improve the safety for all communities across the country.