Tom Moffatt
Question:82 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Justice the plans, if any, she has to tackle the increase of up to 14 per cent in crime in parts of Dublin city. [9756/96]
Written Answers. - Tackling Crime.
I do not know the basis of the Deputy's claim that crime is up by 14 per cent in parts of Dublin. This may or may not be the case but I do know that official Garda statistics for 1996 so far suggest that crime is actually decreasing in the Dublin metropolitan area as a whole compared with the same period last year. I am sure that the Deputy will welcome this encouraging trend.
I have made the tackling of crime in all its forms my number one priority and I recently announced a series of measures, both immediate and long-term, to help deal with it. These measures include the provision of a significant number of prison places over the next 18 months, the implementation of the Garda restructuring plan, which provides for the creation of a regional command structure designed to improve the response to mobile crime, approval for the appointment of 15 new judges, steps to address the problem of drugs in prison and the management of addicted offenders, the early introduction of legislation in the criminal justice area and a new Garda information technology system.
Furthermore, in 1995, I established the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Garda National Bureau of Fraud Investigation. The Courts and Court Officers Act, 1995 will improve the efficiency of the courts and speed up trials. In addition, at community level, I have funded many youth diversion projects and other schemes to engage youth and steer them away from crime.
I believe that these measures will make a major impact in tackling crime, not just in Dublin but throughout the country.