asked the Minister for Justice if he will make a statement on the upsurge in kidnapping offences in recent times and if appropriate steps have been taken to counter this development.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kidnapping Offences.
45.
Since 1 January 1978 there have been six kidnappings for ransom and all but one of these have resulted in court proceedings being brought by the Garda. In the only case where proceedings have not so far been possible, the victim was rescued from the boot of a car, primarily as a result of effective Garda action.
Taking action to counter the offence of kidnapping is not an easy matter—for one thing the range of possible targets is very wide—but the Garda authorities have informed me that certain arrangements which they have made to deal with the problem will be kept under review to continually assess their effectiveness.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.