Vol. 416 No. 6
239 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the number of burglar alarm calls in the Louth-Meath Garda division; the proportion of these which proved to be false; and the action, if any, he proposes to take to reduce the incidence of false alarms.
Garda records show that 6,830 alarm calls were received in the Louth-Meath division during the 12 months period ended 29 February 1992 and that over 97 per cent of these were false.
The very high level of false calls in the Louth-Meath division is a reflection of the situation being experienced countrywide. This means that the alarm systems in question, which were intended as a useful instrument of crime prevention, are now, by and large, operating in a way which hampers effective crime prevention. False calls can be due to carelessness, equipment failure or faulty installation/maintenance. The high incidence of false calls during the usual opening and closing hours of business premises highlights the element of carelessness involved.
The Garda authorities have been looking at the problem and examining how it is dealt with in other countries. They have also engaged in consultation with the security industry. The commissioner has now put proposals to my Department for a new policy to deal with the problem. The details of this policy are being finalised at present and I intend to make an announcement shortly in the matter.
