John Stafford
Question:143 Mr. Stafford asked the Minister for Justice if he will immediately implement a publicity campaign aimed at encouraging assault victims to report incidents.
Written Answers. - Crime Awareness Publicity Campaign.
The Garda Síochána and especially the Garda Community Relations Section avail of every opportunity to encourage and assist the public to report all crimes including assaults. Use is made of the Garda Patrol programme, local radio broadcasts and of other media channels to encourage the public to report suspicious happenings and offences to the Garda.
The Garda authorities consider that the closer links which are being fostered with the community through community-based crime prevention schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch, Community Alert and Neighbourhood Policing, are of particular benefit in this respect and a strong emphasis is placed in the Garda recruit training programme on the necessity to enlist public co-operation and of course to encourage the reporting of crime.
An important recent initiative, a Garda confidential telephone service which was introduced in January of this year, affords the public the opportunity of contacting the Garda in a way which some may perhaps prefer. This is a freephone telephone number which is broadcast weekly on Garda Patrol and has been circulated to representatives of the neighbourhood watch schemes. In addition, neighbourhood Garda actively promote the use of this service by the public. This initiative is I hope of major assistance and encouragement to victims of crime.
The Garda authorities have informed me that they are satisfied that the measures they have taken to encourage the reporting of crime are satisfactory. They are however keeping the situation under review.
It would be a mistake of course to give the impression that responsibility for encouraging people to report crime is something which rests entirely with the Garda Síochána. It is a responsibility which rests on all of us within our own social and working environments. In the case of assaults on children, for example, where victims may be particularly reluctant or afraid to admit that the problem exists, there is an obligation on those closest to the child — parents, friends, teachers — to listen, be observant and if there is cause for concern to report. There is now a growing consciousness of this in the teaching and other professions and this is something which is certainly welcome and should be encouraged.