Written answers

Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Department of Justice and Equality

Antisocial Behaviour

Photo of Jim O'CallaghanJim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the initiatives that are being taken to tackle anti-social behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25987/22]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and a number of priority actions are contained in the Programme for Government to reduce instances of such behaviour and help people to be safe and feel safe in their local communities.

In line with the Programme for Government, I have established an Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, which I chair,  to examine a broad range of issues with a focus on developing measures which will counteract the negative impact of such incidents on community morale and quality of life. Two subgroups have been established under the forum to consider the specific issues of knife crime and the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes. Other subgroups may be established to tackle additional specific issues as required.

The knife crime subgroup has assessed available evidence to inform policy on knife crime and is finalising its proposals.

Arising from the work of the subgroup on the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes, funding of almost €200,000 is being provided to eight community-based projects to work with young people involved in the anti-social use of scramblers and quad bikes and related crime.

An Garda Síochána also continues to implement high-visibility policing plans to address public disorder-related issues and anti-social behaviour, with particular overt and targeted policing of public places at times when public order incidents and anti-social behaviour typically increase, such as bank holiday weekends.

In Dublin city centre, An Garda Síochána commenced Operation Citizen in October last year to focus on anti-social behaviour, public order and quality of life issues, assaults and high volume crimes. Operation Citizen, which involves increased levels of visible policing at key locations, also focuses on community and stakeholder engagement. A new Garda hub will be established at Upper O’Connell Street to coordinate Operation Citizen and other Garda operations in place in Dublin city centre and I am advised that work to prepare the premises for the Garda hub is well underway.

Other important Garda operations are in place across the country to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as Operation Copóg, which commenced in March 2021 to disrupt and target the sale and supply of controlled drugs in St Mary’s Park area of Limerick city.

In addition, Operation Soteria, the national strategy to target assault reduction, continues nationwide.

The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2022 included significant additional funding to support initiatives under the Youth Justice Strategy and the new Community Safety Innovation Fund, €6.7 million and €2 million respectively, which will support community-based initiatives to divert those involved in anti-social or criminal behaviours and guide them towards pro-social behaviours.

Although anti-social behaviour is sometimes represented as a youth-related problem, crime figures show that relevant offences occur across a wide age range, underlining the need for a considered and evidence-informed approach to developing measures to counter anti-social behaviour.

Justice Plan 2022, published earlier this year by Minister McEntee and I, will continue the Department’s focused commitment to working with An Garda Síochána, local communities and wider society to eliminate such behaviour and support community safety into the future.

Photo of Aindrias MoynihanAindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that will be taken to deal with the public order issue in Cork city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25838/22]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to ensuring that people both feel safe and are safe in their communities.

Both the Programme for Government, as well as the Justice Plan 2022, contain a number of commitments to tackle crime and improve community safety, including the ongoing prioritisation of the work of the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, charged with considering the effectiveness of existing legislation and looking at proposals for new ways forward.  

I am informed by the Garda authorities that with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and the full reopening of the night-time economy, the numbers of persons coming into Cork city to socialise has increased substantially.  With the addition of on-street facilities for dining and consumption of alcohol outside of licensed premises, there has also been a shift in the way in which people socialise from pre-pandemic norms.

The reduction in incident levels that were seen during 2020 and 2021 whilst public health restrictions were in place have seen a consequential increase as society returns to normal pre-pandemic activity.

Proactive policing patrols of the city centre and the Victorian Quarter areas help to deter incidents of assaults and associated public order offences.  Additional Gardaí are employed on overtime on Friday and Saturday nights to supplement the working units in order to maintain a strong policing presence in the area and to promote confidence in the public coming into the city.  Undoubtedly, these additional resources have led to increased detections of offences and consequent arrests.

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions.

The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation in excess of €2 billion for 2022. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe, including in Cork city and county, and to preventing crime in all its forms. 

I can inform the Deputy that as of 30 April 2022, Cork City Division has 727 Gardaí assigned to it, Cork North Division has 331 Gardaí assigned to it, and Cork West has 295 members assigned there. These figures amount to an increase of over 12%, over 10% and almost 5% in each respective Division since 2016.

There are also 118 Garda staff in Cork City, 41 in Cork North and 36 in Cork West Division. These figures amount to a significant increase of 100%, 51% and 50% respectively since 2016, when there were 59 Garda staff assigned to Cork City, 27 in Cork North and 24 in Cork West Division. This increase in the number of Garda members and staff will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours and improved services to the public generally.

I am also assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. I understand that it is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to them, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.

An Garda Síochána also runs a number of proactive policing initiatives aimed at reducing assaults and improving feelings of community safety, including Operation Soteria (the national assault reduction strategy). 

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