I move:
"That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
This is a short and, I think, noncontroversial Bill which, in the words of the Long Title, enables the Government to determine the ranks of the Garda Síochána and the maximum number of members of the Garda Síochána of each rank. Section 1 of the Bill provides accordingly. Section 2 contains the consequential repeals and the remaining section deals with the short title, collective citation and construction.
At present the various ranks of the Garda Síochána and the maximum number in each rank are prescribed by statute, that is, by section 5 (2) of the Police Forces Amalgamation Act, 1925, and the Third Schedule to that Act, as amended by the Garda Síochána Acts of 1945 and 1962. In addition to the five commissioners and the surgeon, the statutory maximum establishment is now 29 chief superintendents, 157 superintendents, 110 inspectors, 70 station sergeants, 1,350 sergeants and 6,000 gardaí. It is now necessary to increase the statutory maximum number of inspectors and also, possibly, of one or more other ranks. To enable this to be done an amending Bill is required and the opportunity is being taken to avoid the need for having a special Bill passed through all its Stages in each House of the Oireachtas whenever such increases are necessary. This is not the case with the Army or the Civil Service and there seems to be no good reason why the Garda Síochána should have to be treated specially. However, the Bill does provide that any order made by the Government under the Bill will be liable to annulment by either the Dáil or the Seanad, so that each House of the Oireachtas will continue to exercise a measure of control in these matters.
I am glad to announce that the strength of the Garda Síochána will be further increased by 600 in the coming financial year. This increase is in addition to the extra 400 announced last year, half of whom have already been recruited. It is also in addition to recruitment to replace normal wastage. This means that compared with a year ago the Garda force will have an increase of 1,000 men bringing the strength to 7,560 the highest ever. This increase will be a substantial help in dealing with the increased incidence of crime and will improve the effectiveness of the protection given by the Garda Síochána to the community.
The additional recruitment, as well as the recruitment to replace normal wastage, will mean that in the next 12 months over 900 recruits will be needed. To encourage candidates to come forward exemption from the qualifying educational examination is being given to persons who have the leaving certificate and have passed, or as the case may be, have obtained grade D or better, in Irish and English. Moreover, the minimum height for male candidates has been reduced from 5' 9" to 5' 8" and the upper age limit has been extended from 25 to 26 years. The lower age limit of 18 years has been amended to allow candidates to be accepted who have attained 18 years on the 1st day of the month in which the examination is held.
To enable candidates to take advantage of these changes, the date of the next entrance examination is being postponed from 2nd to 23rd March and the latest date for receipt of completed applications is being extended to 25th February.
I am sure that Deputies will welcome the steps that are being taken to strengthen the force at the present time. It is evidence of my determination and that of the Government to see that positive steps are taken to deal with the substantial increase of crime which we, in common with so many other countries, are now faced with. At the same time, I must confess to some feeling of regret—and I am sure my feeling will be shared by every responsible citizen—that in this the 50th year of the force's history the situation should require such a large addition to its strength. To some extent, of course, the addition reflects the benefits of the reduced working hours given to the force two years ago and this is to be welcomed. But as the main reason is to improve the community's defence against lawbreakers I think I should refer to the present crime situation. In the year ended 30th September, 1970—the last year for which final figures are available— the total number of indictable crimes known to the Garda was 30,756, which represents an increase of 4,784 or 18.4 per cent on the figures for the previous year, which in turn were 2,868 or 12.4 per cent up on the figures for the year ended 30th September, 1968.
As in previous years, about two-thirds of the total number of indictable crimes consisted of offences against property without violence, mainly larcenies. In fact, while offences against the person have been almost constant over the past four years, offences against property show a steady increase and the 1970 figure is 4,807 greater than the 1969 figure, an increase of 19.7 per cent. The bulk of the increase is attributable to increases in three specific categories: larcenies from unattended vehicles increased by 1,853, housebreaking by 1,510 and larcenies, not otherwise defined, of property of less than £50 in value by 703.
As the House is aware, in recent times an unusually large number of armed robberies have been committed. In the year ended 30th September, 1970, 17 of these crimes were committed while in the year to 30th September last 30 were committed.
In 1970 proceedings were instituted by the gardaí in respect of 13,710 indictable offences known to them—44.5 per cent of the total. In 1,532 other cases, representing a further 5 per cent, the Garda Síochána were fully satisfied that they knew who was responsible but because the person could not be found or because evidence was inadmissible proceedings could not be instituted. The overall detection rate was 50 per cent, as compared with 61 per cent in the previous year. In the Dublin Metropolitan Area the detection rate was 37 per cent, while in the rest of the country it was 69 per cent.
In this connection I think I should repeat what I said in the House before Christmas on the motion for the adjournment, in relation to comparisons with other countries. It is true that the increase in the incidence of crime in this country in recent years is matched by corresponding or greater increases in other countries even though most of them have had, for very many years, a substantially higher rate of crime so that, starting from a much lower base, so to speak, a higher percentage increase might have been expected here. Likewise, the detection rate here, while it has, unfortunately, fallen, still compares very well with that in other countries in which urban populations are growing. In view of the highly developed communications which exist nowadays, it is unrealistic to suppose that we in this country can escape the effects of what is happening all around us. I think we must accept that, despite our best endeavours, it is almost inevitable that the crime rate here will tend to become higher than we have been accustomed to in the past. This does not mean that there is any complacency about the present situation. As Minister for Justice, I fully accept that we should make every effort to curb, and if possible reverse, the upward trend in crime which has been manifesting itself in recent years and the recruitment of an additional 1,000 gardaí is an earnest of my determination. Apart from the recruitment of additional gardaí, female clerical assistants are being employed to do routine office work now being done by gardaí. Some 70 have already been recruited and the immediate target is 150. Furthermore, parking controls in the cities are more and more being exercised by wardens, thus relieving a substantial number of gardaí for other work.
The financial provision for the purchase of Garda cars is almost double what it was last year. I am assured that, on the basis of present deliveries and on the authorisation already given to make preliminary arrangements for the purchase of the Commissioner's full requirements in the coming year, there should be no ground for complaint on this score.
As regards communications, the provision of a new Garda communications centre is urgently required and this project is being given priority. I had hoped that some type of prefabricated building could be used until the permanent buildings were ready but for technical reasons, related to the nature of the equipment, prefabricated construction would not be suitable. The arrangements for the purchase of modern communication equipment are proceeding at the same time. As regards the national network, when it became clear to me that the permanent system that is being planned would take several years to complete, a special temporary project was initiated to give reasonable coverage over the country until the permanent network is in operation. The temporary system is expected to be in operation within the next six months or so.
In the matter of organisation, too, I should, perhaps, mention the creation in Dublin of a special Garda task force consisting of a superintendent and 26 members of other ranks. This task force has already acquitted itself well and further similar units may be created in the future.
As regards Garda building, since 1st April last, five stations have been erected and seven more are at present under construction. With a view to expediting work on the building programme the provision of system-built official houses and stations at small rural centres is at present being examined and it is expected that ten new system-built stations and houses will be provided before the end of the financial year. I have also under consideration the setting up of a separate unit in my Department to deal exclusively with the programme of building for the Garda Síochána and other services for which I am responsible.
As regards the Conroy Commission, most of its recommendations, as Deputies will be aware, have long been implemented. These include all those recommendations relating to pay, allowances, hours of work and rest days which, financially, were of greatest significance both as regards benefit for members and cost to the Exchequer. Others gave rise to detailed negotiations with the Garda Representative Bodies. Among these were the recommendations for a contributory widows' and children's pension scheme. This scheme came into operation on 1st January. It applies to members of the force serving on or after 23rd July, 1968. All future entrants to the force will be pensionable under the scheme but participation by those now serving is voluntary. Like the scheme in the Civil Service, half the cost will be borne by the State and half by the participants. The contribution by each participant will be 1½ per cent of pay. Under the scheme, a Garda widow will receive half the pension to which her husband would be entitled on retirement. Additional benefits will be payable in respect of dependent children. These benefits are in addition to the minimum level of benefits provided under the existing Garda pensions scheme. An ex-gratia scheme, which applies to the widows and children of members who died or retired on pension before 23rd July, 1968, is already in operation.
A further recommendation which gave rise to long negotiations was that relating to new discipline regulations. The new regulations have now been made by me with the concurrence of the Government and have been in operation since 8th December. They will, I am confident, remove the source of any grievances.
Another important step which followed from a recommendation of the Conroy Commission was the establishing within the force of a research and planning unit. At present, it consists of four senior Garda officers, an operations research officer from the Department of Finance and a senior officer from the Department of Justice. The unit is responsible for the development of new equipment, such as communications, transport and office equipment. It will study new techniques so as to enable the gardaí to deal promptly and effectively with changes in the pattern of crime and the behaviour of criminals. It has already undertaken studies of the systems of recruitment, training and promotion within the force.
As I informed the House on 4th November, I have also set up a special committee consisting of senior officers of my Department and of the Garda Síochána to supervise and direct the operation of the unit. It is my intention to keep in close touch with the work of the unit and ensure that the problems facing us are tackled as speedily as possible and that the right solutions are found and implemented.
In these matters there will be continuing consultation with the three Representative Bodies and their views or suggestions will be taken into account. In addition, the Commissioner is arranging that, in future, there will be regular consultation between the local branches of the Representative Bodies and the local Garda officers so that local problems may as far as possible be identified and examined at the earliest possible moment.
Finally, I should like to emphasise that I regard the welfare of the gardaí and the maintenance of their morale and their efficiency as matters of the highest importance and that I am, and always have been, prepared, within the limits of our resources, to remove any legitimate grievance they may have. It is inevitable, with such a large force, that there will be individuals, and, perhaps, groups, who are dissatisfied from time to time though I think it is somewhat unfortunate that the views of these members are regularly given such wide publicity. It should be said, too, that there are bound to be some defects in any large organisation. I am confident, however, that with the large addition to its strength, the improvements being made in its communications and equipment, the review of the present methods of manpower utilisation, training, recruitment and promotion and the arrangements for meetings at local level between the Garda representatives and their officers, a solid basis for advance is being laid and that the force can be relied upon to live up to the tradition it has established over the 50 years of its existence and continue to serve and protect the community in the difficult times that may be ahead.