Vol. 515 No. 6
56 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of arrests of minors in each of the Dublin metropolitan area districts in 1999; his views on the underlying reasons for this level of juvenile crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6823/00]
As I informed the Deputy in my reply to Question No. 73 on 2 February last, the information sought regarding the number of minors arrested in each of the Dublin metropolitan areas during 1999 is not readily available. In addition, the Garda authorities point out that the distinction between arrests and persons being made amenable should be borne in mind. For example, not all arrests lead to a person being made amenable for an offence.
Juvenile offenders – persons under 18 years of age – made amenable for offences are reported to the Garda national juvenile office. This includes persons who are arrested and those who are detected without arrest for no insurance, driving licence, etc. For the year 1999 some 15,554 referrals for juvenile offenders were received at the national juvenile office. This represents a 4% increase on the figure for 1998, which was in turn 7% lower than the 1997 figure.
The causes of crime are so varied that a response from the criminal justice system alone is not sufficient. The interdepartmental committee established in 1992 to report on urban crime and disorder stated that, whatever their relative significance, factors such as unemployment, lack of educational opportunity, environmental conditions and lack of family supervision were typical of a problem area. This is why I strongly support a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling crime in urban areas. Such an approach has been adopted, for example, by the Garda youth diversion schemes funded by my Department.
