Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of burglaries carried out in the Mayo Garda division in each year between 2016 and 2024; whether she intends to introduce further legislation in order to tackle this problem and reduce burglaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43695/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is responsible for the compilation and publication of official crime statistics. To be of assistance to the Deputy, the table below outlines the number of burglaries in the Mayo Division for the period 2016 to Q2 2024 (the latest published figures). This information is available on the CSO website.

*2024 figures are to end of Quarter 2

I can inform the Deputy that there is a comprehensive legislative framework in place regarding burglary and that there are no plans to amend current legislation.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the operational policing response to burglary and the Deputy may be aware that Operation Thor is the Garda national response to burglary.

It is worth noting the remarkable progress made since Operation Thor was launched in 2015, as there has been a 75% reduction in residential burglaries nationwide, and in Mayo since 2016 to the end of 2023, burglary and related offences have reduced by over 29%. The period for 2020 to 2022 may have seen a decrease due to the impact of public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the success of Operation Thor has continued beyond this period, with burglary offences still below 2016 levels.

Operation Thor actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.

I would also like to note that throughout 2023, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) placed emphasis on targeting the criminal groups engaged in property crime, such as burglaries and robberies. A particular focus of the Bureau's activities centred upon rural crime and a number of the Bureau’s actions were in support of law enforcement in regional locations.