James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to tackle anti-social behaviour and its causes. The funding of over €2 billion made available to An Garda Síochána this year and next demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring Gardaí have the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and, most importantly, the personnel they need to carry out their vital work.

A number of priority actions are contained in the Programme for Government, and my Department’s Justice Plan 2023, to reduce instances of such behaviour and help people to be safe and feel safe in their local communities. These include:

• setting up an expert forum on anti-social behaviour;
• establishing Local Community Partnerships;
• expanding youth diversion to the 18-24 year old age group;
• implementing the Youth Justice Strategy 2021 - 2027;
• creating a criminal offence in respect of adults who groom children into criminality;
• the roll out of body-worn cameras to members of the Gardaí.

Separately, the Government through the Minister for Transport has introduced legislation to give stronger powers to An Garda Síochána to seize scrambler bikes and similar vehicles.

Minister McEntee recently held a bilateral meeting with her counterparts from Latin America, building stronger links with our international partners in the fight against transnational crime. This is complemented by the work of the Commissioner, who has recently travelled to the US, Colombia and Europe to further this engagement.

I would also like to commend An Garda Síochána and all of the state agencies involved in the recent drugs seizure that took place off Cork, and also involved in operations off the coast of Wexford.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, which I chair, is developing measures which will address the factors which give rise to such behaviour and its impact on community morale and quality of life. The Forum seeks to avoid duplicating other ongoing work by my Department.

Three subgroups of the Forum have been established to consider the specific issues of knife crime; the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes; and responses to Anti-Social Behaviour impacts on housing complexes managed by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).

The Government will prioritise the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) across the country in 2024. Each partnership will bring together community members, the voluntary and community sector, statutory services, and local councillors to work together in identifying and tackling community safety issues, such as anti-social behaviour and drug dealing, locally. Each Partnership will develop a Community Safety Plan for their area. Partnerships will also be able to apply to the Community Safety Innovation Fund to provide funding for community safety initiatives in their area. This fund allows the proceeds of crime to be reinvested back into the community.

Three innovative pilot schemes have been set up in Longford, Waterford and Dublin’s North Inner City as forums for discussion, collaboration and co-ordination on community safety issues.

The locations allow the proposed structure to be trialled in a high population density area, a medium population density area and a low population density area, with a regional distribution.

My Department has also commenced a review of the powers available to members of the Gardaí in relation to dealing with anti-social behaviour.

An Garda Síochána have a number of crime prevention initiatives in place to support and protect the business community from issues such as theft and harassment. This includes the National Strategic Retail Forum which is an integral part of the An Garda Síochána Crime Prevention & Reduction Strategy 2021-2024.

This forum is led by the Garda National Crime and An Garda Síochána engage with external stakeholders in relation to retail theft and related crime. This Forum provides Retail Forum members the opportunity to raise issues and concerns and the sharing of crime prevention knowledge to assist and collaborate in combined efforts to reduce and prevent crime. It also allows for a review of powers available to An Garda Síochána in relation to public order and anti-social behaviour to ensure the law is kept up to date.

The government is committed to reducing reoffending. The Joint Agency Response to Crime, which was initially established in 2014, is a multi-agency response to the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders. JARC brings together agencies such as the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána and my Department to direct offenders away from a life of criminality.