Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 19 Feb 1991

Vol. 405 No. 3

Written Answers. - Community Security Schemes.

Dan Wallace

Question:

242 Mr. D. Wallace asked the Minister for Justice the number of neighbourhood watch schemes and community alert schemes in operation in (a) the country as a whole and (b) Cork city and county; the effect such schemes have had on crime levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Justice (Mr. Burke)

I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are 1,027 neighbourhood watch schemes and a further 245 community alert schemes throughout the country. I am also informed that there are 55 neighbourhood watch schemes and 37 community alert schemes in Cork City and county.

It is not possible to attribute, with certainty, a change in the level of criminal activity to any particular measure such as the neighbourhood watch or community alert schemes. However, the Garda authorities consider that the neighbourhood watch scheme is playing a significant role in reducing crime, particularly residential burglaries which, based on provisional figures for 1990, have dropped by over 19 per cent countrywide since 1984. I am also glad to say that attacks on the elderly, in particular, have decreased considerably since the community alert scheme was introduced.

However, it is important to make the point that the benefits of neighbourhood watch and community alert schemes cannot be judged by statistics alone. The Garda authorities are satisfied that these schemes have been particularly successful in involving the community in crime prevention, in enhancing relations between the Gardaí and the community they serve and in promoting a greater sense of security especially among the more vulnerable members of our society.