asked the Minister for Justice the figures for the category of offences against the person for each of the last three years; and if he will outline the urgent proposals he has for reducing this rising trend.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Offences Against the Person.
25.
The members of "offences against the person" in the years 1977, 1978 and 1979 were 2,063, 2,266 and 2,326 respectively. Although the figures show an upward trend, the percentage increase from year to year has fallen. In 1977 the increase as against the previous year was over 20 per cent, in 1978 it was under 10 per cent and in 1979 it was less than 3 per cent.
Many of the crimes in this category such as assaults, unlawful woundings, manslaughter, murder etc., occur most often within family or other close groupings and, because of their nature, they are not regarded by the Garda as preventable by Garda action. Because of that, the Garda authorities state that Garda success in this area can be measured only in terms of detection rates, which in fact are very high, varying from over 87 per cent in 1977 to over 91 per cent in 1979.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that, in these circumstances, the introduction of special measures directed towards this particular type of crime would not be warranted or useful at present.
Allowing for the fact that the number of inter-family feuds has remained more or less constant over the years, the central fact is that in each year there has been an increase in the number of this most serious type of crime. Would the Minister therefore ask the Garda Commissioner to reconsider his expressed view that any particular effort above what is being done is not needed to counteract a rising trend of violence against the person?
I will ask the Commissioner and let the Deputy know.
Does the Minister share my concern? He has told us that the rate of detection is of a high order, but does he accept that detection does not necessarily mean conviction?
On the question of detection, I have not got the percentage of convictions from the 91 per cent detection rate.
It is not 91 per cent.
I will get the information for the Deputy and let him have it.
Does the Minister share my view?
I share the Deputy's concern.
But not his view.