Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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144. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the change in the rate of drug offences recorded in the Dublin metropolitan area in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57742/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage that drug dealing has on communities across the country. Organised criminal activity, including drug dealing, represents a serious threat to community safety.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the detection of and response to any criminal activity is an operational function for the Garda Commissioner. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

The operational review of crime statistics, at a national and regional level, is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Again, I play no role in these independent functions.

The Deputy may be interested to note that the most recent available crime statistics, published by the CSO on 29 September and covering the 12 months to the end of June 2021, are available on the CSO website www.cso.ie. The recorded crime statistics show crime trends in each Garda region, division and station.

The most recent statistics show increases across most drug offence categories in the Dublin Metropolitan Region over the last five years. For the period 2016 to 2020, increases were recorded for controlled drug offences of 59%, possession of drugs for sale and supply of 65% and possession for personal use of 52%. A decrease of 19% was recorded for the importation of drugs for the same period.

The Deputy may also be interested to note that in the recent CSO release on Recorded Crime Detection 2020, which identifies the percentage of crimes recorded by Gardaí in 2020 that had been deemed ‘detected’ by 2 September 2020, 83.1% of Controlled drug offences in the DMR region were deemed detected.

While the increase of drug offences is a cause for concern, it also reflects the work of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and their success in detecting those involved in drug dealing. I can assure the Deputy that the continued disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other state agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard. A concerted effort has been made over the past year to ensure that the detection and prevention of these types of criminal activity have not been adversely affected by the unprecedented demands placed on policing services by the vital support of public health guidelines. As at 18 November 2021, the Bureau has seized controlled drugs worth €51.84m this year, in addition to €5.1m in cash.

Recent operations in the Dublin area include the seizure of approximately €360,000 of suspected cannabis in the Tallaght area on 11 November 2021 and the seizure of approximately €348,000 of suspected cannabis in the Dublin 2 area on 2 November 2021.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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145. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the change in the rate of theft offences in the Dublin metropolitan area in the past five years; the change in the rate of detection of such crimes over the period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57743/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the detection of and response to any criminal activity is an operational function for the Garda Commissioner, as per the Garda Síochána Act 2005. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

The operational review of crime statistics, at a national and regional level, is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Again, I play no role in these independent functions.

The Deputy may be interested to note that the most recent available crime statistics, published by the CSO on 29 September and covering the 12 months to the end of June 2021, are available on the CSO website www.cso.ie. The recorded crime statistics show crime trends in each Garda region, division and station.

The most recent statistics show that for the period 2016 to 2020, there has been a decrease of 19% for Theft & Related Offences in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

A concerted effort has been made over the past year to ensure that the detection and prevention of criminal activity have not been adversely affected by the unprecedented demands placed on policing services by the vital support of public health guidelines.

There will be no relaxation in the collective effort of the Government and Gardaí to suppress crime. It is vital that we continue to encourage all citizens to report all instances of criminality to An Garda Síochána. Only then can the crime be properly investigated by Gardaí. These reports will allow the Garda authorities to identify any new or emerging crime trends and, where necessary, allocate Garda resources in order to tackle these developments.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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146. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has considered introducing a new offence of dog theft; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57786/21]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Pet theft is an incredibly traumatic crime. I fully appreciate the strong emotional attachment we all have to our pets and that theft not only leads to their loss in our lives, but also a high level of concern for their welfare. It is also a crime which often affects, and is indeed often targeted against, older and particularly vulnerable people, for whom their pet is of huge emotional importance.

It is important to emphasise that theft offences already apply to this crime, and can carry very heavy penalties. The Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment in the case of offences of theft and handling of stolen property; while a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment is provided for the offence of possession of stolen property.

When imposing sentence, judges are not limited to considering the monetary value of a pet – the emotional distress to the victim caused by the offence is absolutely relevant and can be, and is, taken into account where appropriate. However, I acknowledge that the existing offence considers the offence as being one against property rather than a person or an animal and I am committed to examining the options to address the issue, including, if necessary, making legislative changes.

From an enforcement perspective, An Garda Síochána take this issue very seriously and have conducted several important actions against those responsible. Gardaí have also disseminated information through the national Crime Prevention Officer Network regarding keeping animals secure and preventing these forms of theft. The Garda National Crime Prevention Unit's advice on pet safety, which is in line with the advice from animal welfare groups and animal insurance companies about keeping animals safe, can be viewed on the Garda website.

I would like to emphasise the importance of microchipping. Every dog must be microchipped by the time it reaches 12 weeks of age, or earlier if it is sold or moved from its place of birth (Microchipping of Dogs Regulation 2015), and the microchip must be registered with an authorised database. Microchipping of all dogs protects the animals’ welfare, and assists with speedy identification of lost or stolen dogs and their owners. It is an offence to keep a dog over 12 weeks that has not been chipped; it’s an offence to sell such a dog. Microchips can be easily checked at vets and by Gardaí. They are by far and away the most effective means of tracking and identifying dogs.

The Department of Agriculture have also made regulations covering the advertising for sale of animals under the Animal Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pets Regulations) 2019.