andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice when it was decided to introduce police dogs into the Garda Force; how many have been purchased since that date; what was the average cost of each; and the total overall cost to the Exchequer, including maintenance, etc., of these animals.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Police Dogs.
163.
The decision to acquire police dogs was taken in June, 1960. Four have since been purchased at an average cost of £6 10s. and two obtained without cost to public funds. The cost of maintaining the six dogs including allowances paid to their handlers, is £11 14s. per week.
164.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice what is the average weekly cost of maintaining a police dog at present.
The approximate weekly cost is £1 4s.
165.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice whether police dogs are housed in Garda stations; and, if not, where; whether they are housed with private individuals or with members of the Force; and what allowances are paid in this respect.
166.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice whether police dogs are assigned to particular members of the Force, and, if so, how many; and whether these officers are in receipt of any additional allowances for handling these animals.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Numbers 165 and 166 together.
There are six dogs, each of which is assigned to a particular dog handler, a Garda, who keeps the dog at home in a kennel which was supplied at State expense. The handler is responsible for the care and feeding of the dog and receives an allowance of 15/- a week. The cost of the food is borne by the State.
167.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice the number of occasions that police dogs have been used since their introduction to the Force, and for what purposes.
Since their introduction to the Force in December, 1960, the dogs have been in continual use. They are used particularly for the following purposes: The prevention and detection of crime and the protection of life and property; the maintenance of good order by the suppression of disorder and rowdyism in public places, particularly at dance halls, cinemas and places of refreshment; searches for persons recently missing, in circumstances which suggest foul play or other criminal action; searches of premises or lands on which criminals are believed to be present or from which such persons have recently escaped; checking on loiterers, suspect persons and vehicles, etc.
168.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who received injuries on 23rd October as a result of unmuzzled attacks by police dogs.
169.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Justice whether any member of the Garda Síochána was bitten by one of the police dogs on duty on Monday, 23rd October; and if he required hospital treatment.
I propose, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together.
Two complaints were made to the Gardaí in this regard: in one case, the person concerned showed the Gardaí faint marks on an arm, the skin being unbroken; in the other case, the person concerned who had a bandaged arm alleged that his injuries from a dog bite had required treatment at a particular hospital but when the Gardaí made inquiries there next morning, they were unable to get any confirmation that the person in question had been treated for injuries.
A Garda received a slight injury to the hand which did not require hospital treatment.
Is it a fact that one of the Gardaí on duty was bitten by one of the dogs which he was alleged to have under control?
One man received slight injuries but did not require any hospital treatment.
Is it a fact that one Garda was bitten by a dog of which he was alleged to be in control?
No Garda handler was bitten by a dog.
Is it a fact that a Garda was bitten by a dog alleged to have been under the control of his handler?
Does the Deputy mean that the handler was bitten by the dog he was handling?
Not the particular handler and the particular dog. Is it a fact that a member of the Garda on duty that night was bitten, and actually showed signs of having been bitten, by a particular dog, alleged to be under the control of the Gardaí?
Does the Deputy suggest that he showed the signs of having been bitten to somebody?
Would the Minister stop quibbling? Was a member of the Garda on duty that night bitten by one of the dogs on police duty?
My information is that one of the Gardaí received a slight injury to his hand which did not require hospital treatment.
Was it a dog bite?
I do not know; I cannot say.
In view of the fact that a member of the Garda was injured, does not that clearly indicate the inadvisability of using dogs in crowds?
The injury could have been caused by some of the demonstrators. For all I know, the Garda in question may have been injured by some of the demonstrators.
[Interruptions.]
Inasmuch as we are all now agreed that the use of dogs is normally not a desirable practice, nor will it be the practice of the Garda Síochána in these circumstances hereafter, I ask the Minister this — in answer to a question, he has said that only one trivial scratch was suffered by a member of the public and that one relatively trivial injury was caused to a member of the Garda—will he now undertake to have a full inquiry made because no doubt there are circulating in the city stories to the effect that numerous persons had to be treated at Dublin city hospitals from bites inflicted by the dogs under the control of the Garda Síochána? That statement is either true or false. If the Minister cares to say now that he has made these inquiries and that there is no truth in these allegations, well and good, but if the allegations have not been brought officially to his attention before, I now inform him those rumours are circulating in the city of Dublin and they require to be confirmed or denied.
I cannot possibly reply to 16 or 17 questions at once. Deputy Dr. Browne has a facile habit of running a number of questions together. May I, a Cheann Comhairle, answer Deputy Dillon's supplementary question? I am aware that these rumours are circulating and I am in a position to state that they are entirely false. My information is to the effect, as given in this answer, that only two persons reported to the Garda that they had been injured. One of these persons gave a name and address which, on a subsequent inquiry by the Garda, turned out to be false. When inquiry was made by the Garda at the hospital at which this person alleged he had been treated, the hospital knew nothing about any such incident. That is the extent of my information at the moment. As far as I can ascertain, there is no question whatever of any number of people having been bitten by dogs. However, I have given this assurance and I want to repeat it, that if any member of the public complains to me about his treatment by the Garda on that occasion, either by dogs or in any other way, I shall have it fully investigated.
I am glad to have that assurance from the Minister. I was merely trying to save him when I intervened in his reply. In fact, when he says the injuries were trivial, if he wishes to verify from a photograph, he will find there was one person who was seriously injured on both forearms and there is, I think, a photograph available to show those injuries, if he cares to look at it. I saw these injuries myself. I deprecate the fact that there may be exaggeration by a number of people. To my knowledge, only one person was seriously hurt.
Does the Deputy happen to know was that person treated in hospital in Dublin?
I understood that he went away to be treated by a hospital.
We do not know the name of the hospital?
Could the Minister tell us whether it is a fact that the demonstrators were accompanied by their own photographer and whether it is a fact that the photographs which he took and which were published in the Irish Times recorded incidents which were deliberately staged for propaganda purposes?
That has nothing to do with dogs.
Is the suggestion now being made that a group of demonstrators went along to invite dogs to bite them for the purpose of publicity?
I would not be surprised.
As we used to say in our school days, is iomadh slí chun cat a mharbhú seachas é a thachtadh le h-im.