Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 Jun 2000

Vol. 520 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Attacks on the Elderly.

Mr. Howlin:

The tragic murders last weekend of an 81 year old man, Paddy Logan, in his home in Castlejordan, County Meath, and an 18 month old baby boy, Oisin O'Reilly, bring into focus the need for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, as a matter of extreme urgency, to meet the Garda Commissioner to devise an appropriate strategy to combat the upsurge in violent crime.

There has been a sharp rise in both the numbers of murders and in the level of serious crime compared to last year. So far, 28 people have been murdered this year, which is a staggering statistic. A total of 28 violent deaths so far this year is an unprecedented figure. Victim Support, the voluntary group which provides an alert service for elderly and vulnerable people, has estimated that up to 1,400 elderly people were the victims of crime last year.

These statistics reveal an appalling and tragic story that is affecting many people and their families countrywide because every one is a horror story of torment that will change forever the lives of those elderly people and rob them of a quality of life. The figures are also a very severe indictment of this Government's record in fighting crime. Elderly people, particularly those living in isolated rural areas, are vulnerable to attack from criminal gangs who prey on people who live alone. It was particularly sad to read in newspaper reports over recent days that Paddy Logan, who was killed at the weekend, had been a victim of crime in recent months.

It is imperative that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, with the Garda Commissioner, meets officials from Victim Support to devise a strategy to combat serious crime and crime against the elderly in particular. He must then set out that strategy to this House and provide the full means to implement it. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, we read, believes that our crime levels have returned to the levels of the 1950s, or so he boasts. If he believes that, he is living in cloud cuckoo land.

It is now abundantly clear that the Minister's so-called zero tolerance policy has no basis in reality. It is nothing more than a figment of the his imagination. His policy is in tatters in the criminal area and in other areas and it is having no effect in reducing the level of serious crime throughout the country.

By his own admission last week, 13 criminal gangs are at their evil work bringing death to our streets. As the Minister for Health and Children knows only too well, the heroin problem grows daily in intensity and viciousness, with deaths now resulting from contaminated product adding to the vicious deaths from the gangs who control this insidious trade.

The Minister's clear failure to tackle crime is undermining confidence in the Garda Síochána and is tempting many people to turn to unacceptable alternatives. We have seen the consequences of the erosion of public confidence in policing in Northern Ireland. We must not allow self styled law enforcers to gain ground in this jurisdiction. I advise the Minister that some of these people are at work in this city.

Once again, fear has become a feature of Irish life, in our cities, among our elderly living alone, even among young males afraid of assault on our streets. All this is an indictment of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, his policies and his efforts. He should stop making bogus and misleading claims about crime levels and congratulating himself. He should instead ensure that the serious threat which criminal gangs pose to the safety of communities and citizens is tackled. On the evidence to date, the Minister is better at promoting his public image than doing the vital job entrusted to him by this House and the Irish people.

Mr. Enright:

The mindless brutality of the attack on the Logan brothers last Sunday evening is a further shocking reminder of the breakdown of law and order in Ireland. The murder of Paddy Logan and the serious injuries inflicted on his brother Peter highlight the current crisis. There is outrage among the people of Laois, Offaly and Meath and this sense of outrage is shared by people countrywide. The attack on these brothers is all the more alarming as there was an attempt already made to rob them in their home last January.

I call on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda Commissioner to provide, as a matter of urgency, all the necessary manpower, expertise and technical assistance to ensure the perpetrators of this horrific crime against the Logan brothers are caught, convicted and sentenced to a long-term of imprisonment. Brutal gangs are roaming around Ireland and driving people in fear out of their homes. Last year in my constituency, an elderly man living alone was robbed while he was out of his house. Two weeks later, while asleep in bed, this man was savagely assaulted, he was beaten around his head and body, and his house was robbed. This man was left bound and gagged in his own home. Luckily he was found by a neighbour the following day. He has since died and he never returned to his home because he was afraid to go back. No one was ever charged with that crime.

The Minister must not bury his head in the sand and ignore the crisis. The statistics are alarming. He admitted recently that 13 gangs now operate in Ireland. That is such an alarming statistic that surely the Minister appreciates its relevance. I would like to refer to a few more statistics. Since 1 January 28 people have died in violent circumstances. In the January to May period from 1997 to 2000, killings have risen from ten in 1997, 15 in 1998, 17 in 1999 and 21 to the end of May of this year. In 1999 over 1,400 people were the victims of crime with over 600 of these people being seriously affected as a result. I could list the names, the dates and circumstances of many of the murders. However, the Minister and his Department have the facts and they are chilling statistics.

Let me point out that behind all these statistics there is a human face, a life and an individual, affected in each and every instance. Such an attack leaves a person traumatised, fearful and psychologically damaged often permanently. The individual is affected and so too is the extended family.

I asked about the Minister changing his attitude to the closure of rural Garda stations. Deputy Howlin was in the House when the former Minister for Justice, Mr. Ray Burke, brought in a policy decision to close rural Garda stations. He made a wrong decision and he has made others to which I will not refer. He made a wrong decision to close the rural Garda stations and we have seen the outcome of that. With the closure of these Garda stations in villages and towns, the green light was given to the criminals that the Government was soft on crime. In the face of opposition from Fine Gael, the Labour Party and other organisations – we did everything possible and pleaded with the Government – the then Minister, Mr. Burke, and the Government totally ignored the views of people opposed to such closures. Since the 1990s crime in rural areas has been out of control and people have been living in fear and dread in their own homes and that remains the case.

I would like to outline my views and those of Fine Gael, because I discussed this with our leader and spokesman on justice, on how we can tackle and defeat this ongoing criminal activity. We require a minimum of 3,000 additional Garda Síochána immediately. Fine Gael wants all rural Garda stations which have been closed by the Government to be reopened and properly staffed and manned. It is important that incentives are provided to encourage members of the Garda Síochána to live in the area in which they are stationed. A greater Garda presence on the streets is required. A redeployment of members of the Garda Síochána is necessary at peak times, such as the closure of pubs, clubs and discos when large groups assemble. Legislation making it mandatory on judges to impose long prison sentences on people convicted of violent crimes is needed. The bottom line is that a journalist gave her life trying to tackle organised crime in Ireland. I hope that journalist did not die in vain.

Mr. Martin:

I thank the Deputies for raising these serious issues and for giving the House an opportunity to sympathise with the Logan family on the terrible atrocity carried out on both brothers last weekend. In particular, our thoughts are with Peter Logan, who is recovering in hospital, and, indeed, with the Logan family on the death of Paddy.

Mr. Enright:

I join with the Minister in that.

Mr. Martin:

Attacks on the elderly are despicable and cowardly crimes. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Donoghue, would like to be here tonight to convey this message but, as the Deputies, will know he is at the United Nations conference abroad. Such attacks on the elderly can create a climate of fear and apprehension, particularly on the part of elderly people living alone. I reiterate that the Government and the Garda Síochána are determined to take whatever steps are necessary to maintain a situation whereby people can feel safe in their homes. No effort will be spared to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime we are discussing this evening are apprehended.

While I do not want in any way to minimise the seriousness of what happened at the weekend, it would be unfortunate if anything said here this evening were to be lead to unnecessary fears on the part of elderly people. While provisional Garda statistics indicate that 13 people aged 65 years or over were victims of murder or manslaughter in the period referred to by Deputy Howlin, it would be wrong to group all of these together as if they were, in some way, related. I understand that the individual circumstances vary widely from case to case and that some of these killings arose from domestic incidents. Furthermore, I understand that in some other cases robbery would not have been a motive. I should stress also that in all but two of these cases, detections have been made.

It is important for me to emphasise also that Deputy Enright is wrong when he refers to an ongoing policy of closing Garda stations in small villages and towns. I take this opportunity to re-state the Government's position in relation to the rural community policing scheme. There has been some misunderstanding over the years concerning the objectives of the rural community policing scheme.

Let us be clear about one thing – the scheme is not about closing rural Garda stations. It is aimed at providing a better service to the community by allowing gardaí spend more time on active operational duties in their districts including, in particular, visits to the elderly, while at the same time providing for station opening hours which actually suit local community needs. Let me remind the House that the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, is on record as stating that no Garda station will close during his tenure as Minister and any suggestion or comments from whatever quarter which imply otherwise are quite simply wrong.

I would also like to assure the House that this Government has not been associated with and has no agenda in relation to the closure of Garda stations or reduction of policing services to the public. The position is quite the contrary. The programme for Government provides for additional Garda recruitment with a view to bringing the strength of the force to 12,000. When this Government came into office, the strength of the force was 10,800. By the end of this year, Garda strength will be 11,600 approximately. This represents a remarkable increase in Garda numbers by any standard. This increase in the strength of the force means that there are more gardaí available to fight crime and to protect the public in both urban and rural areas.

In relation to resources, the position is quite clear. The Government's policy has been and will continue to be to ensure that the Garda Síochána has the necessary resources to enable it to do its job to the utmost of its capabilities. This Government has increased the resources available to the Garda and never in the history of the State has the Garda been better resourced or equipped. That is beyond dispute or argument.

As the House will appreciate, the allocation for Garda expenditure provided in the 1997 Esti mates for the Garda Vote was a figure of £494 million. This year's provision is £668 million. The House may not be aware, but it is worth noting, that that the Garda fleet has increased very considerably during that time, from 1,350 in 1997 to in excess of 1,900 vehicles today, not only enhancing the force's mobility but also modernising and upgrading its equipment.

In terms of flexibility and providing a rapid response, it is hard to compete with the Garda air support unit which includes a fixed wing aircraft and helicopter equipped with the most modern technology. A second helicopter is also being provided which will greatly expand the area of operations of the air support unit and allow for 24 hour availability of air support in the ongoing fight against crime.

The House will appreciate that a full investigation is under way into the recent attack at Castlejordan on the Meath-Offaly border. While obviously it would be inappropriate for me to comment in any detail, I can tell the House that detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and forensic experts are assisting a large number of local gardaí. I understand that house to house inquiries are being made and that checkpoints are being operated. As I already indicated, I assure the House that no resources will be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The problem of attacks on the elderly particularly in rural areas during the course of robberies is one which has emerged from time to time over the past 20 years or so. However, it is important to stress that concerted action by the Garda Síochána in co-operation with local communities has paid great dividends in dealing with this problem. The actions taken have included special operations at regional, divisional and district levels, support of community alert schemes, liaising with local community groups and giving crime prevention advice via the local crime prevention officers.

In addition, my Department and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform co-fund Muintir na Tíre which operates the community alert programme. Community alert is a community-based initiative, organised by Muintir na Tíre which is active throughout the country with a network of more than 1,100 committees. I understand the five development officers which Muintir na Tíre employs have organised a considerable number of seminars throughout the country to advise people of the introduction of the euro and of the implications of keeping their savings in their homes, bearing in mind the impending currency changeover. Naturally, I echo the concerns of my colleague the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in relation to the closure of financial institutions in rural areas.

Elderly people are also advised, through these schemes, on crime prevention and on the avail ability of funding for schemes, such as the scheme of community support for older people through which some £13 million has been allocated since 1997 by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.

Mr. Howlin:

When will the Minister for Finance meet the credit unions?

Mr. Martin:

I believe that similar advice is given in urban areas by neighbourhood watch. I assure the House that the safety and the well being of the elderly remains a top priority for the Government and that in consultation with the Garda Commissioner, we will continue to ensure that all necessary measures will be taken to prevent, discourage and tackle this type of heinous crime.

Mr. Enright:

Regrettably, there is nothing in the Minister's contribution.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.22 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 8 June 2000.