Vol. 435 No. 6
31 Mr. D. McDowell asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the increased number of burglaries in the Elm Mount area of Beaumont, Dublin 9; and the measures, if any, that are currently being taken to address this problem.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that there has been an increase in the number of residential burglaries in the Elm Mount area this year and that these crimes are mainly attributed to the activities of criminals who are resident outside the area. A number of measures have been taken to deal with the crime situation in the Clontarf subdistrict, which includes Elm Mount. These includes:—
—the deployment of extra resources to the area;
—four selected uniform members have been assigned to augment the existing District Detective Unit;
—assistance from the Divisional Task Force based in Santry;
—the establishment of a District Drug Unit;
—education and prevention programme to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime;
—the establishment of a District Response Unit to provide attention to identified problem areas;
—crime checkpoints and surveillance operations;
In the Elm Mount area there is an active Neighbourhood Watch Scheme covering over 1,000 homes. The Garda authorities are very active in the promotion of crime prevention measures and every assistance is afforded this scheme by the Community Sergeant and the Liaision Garda from Clontarf Station.
The Garda authorities have informed me that they are satisfied that the measures they have taken in the area are proving effective in dealing with the crime situation there. However, I am assured that the situation will be kept under constant review.
