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Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 Nov 1996

Vol. 149 No. 5

Adjournment Matters. - Mounted Garda for Dublin.

I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for giving me the opportunity to call on the Minister for Justice to create a mounted Garda unit for Dublin as a publicly acceptable and cost effective way of upgrading Garda presence in the city centre and at major events.

We should use technology to do a better job. The great advantage of technology is that it allows people to extend their reach. This is particularly true in terms of serving people in businesses such as my own or in services such as those provided by the Garda Síochána. It has invested heavily in technology, such as sophisticated radio and telecommunications systems and computers. This technology extends the reach of the men and women who work in the Garda Síochána. It makes it possible for them to do more than ever before. We must remind ourselves that technology is not only about microchips or about making multi-million pound investments. Sometimes it can be used in a homely way and at modest expense. The technology I talk about is mounted gardaí. We do not regard horses as coming under the heading of technology but that is how we should look at it when we think of mounted police. It is a technology used to great effect in many countries and I suggest we should adopt it here.

On a horse a garda can do things he or she could not do otherwise. They can see and be seen much better. Some police forces reckon that a mounted policeman, in terms of creating a useful, visible presence, is equal to six policemen on foot. A garda is more mobile on a horse. He can move much faster than he could ever run and can go places a car cannot. Mounted police have a potentially valuable role in patrolling city centre areas, particularly pedestrianised areas at night. Their usefulness in crowd control at demonstrations or sporting events is also well known. Mounted police are not a colourful relic of bygone days, colourful though they are, but a part of modern policing methods.

This is not a new idea. I was reminded of it in Vienna three weeks ago. Mounted police were to be seen on the streets of the city at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of a normal day. When I checked it out, I discovered that practically every city in Europe and America has a mounted police patrol. If anyone passing the Department of Justice earlier today ran into a cloud of smog, it would have been from the mountain of old files on this subject which were being dusted down. Apparently, it is not a new idea and has often been put forward. However, it usually ended up on the shelf. Everyone has always said it is a great idea, especially the Garda. However, every time it was raised, there was a constraint on resources although it is not a costly initiative and has been costed. The money did not exist for it and priorities always lay elsewhere.

I raise this issue because the time has come to implement this idea. If ever there were a win-win situation, this is it. The comparatively small investment required will be repaid itself many times over. There is a palpable need for more effective policing on the streets of Dublin and there is a vociferous public demand for it. Measures must and have already been taken and more will be taken. I see this suggestion fitting in with the measures taken. I do not suggest that every garda should be on horseback but rather there should be a small unit of 12 horses for Dublin. That may not seem a lot but its effect on the quality of policing would be dramatic.

People often call for extra police measures to cope with rising crime. There is a strong demand for more effective policing. At the same time, people do not want Ireland to become a police state. I was at the Ireland v England football match in Lansdowne Road a couple of years ago. I saw a riot occur. Riots are infrequent in Ireland but there is a possibility that they may occur in the future. If we are to control riots, plastic bullets and water cannons are not acceptable. Mounted police are effective in controlling riots and, if we had them available for that, it would be a good investment in the future. Mounted police are also a way of increasing Garda presence which is acceptable to all and in a way people may find attractive.

O'Connell Street is becoming more pedestrianised and it is not always the safest place at night or even during the day. Mounted gardaí patrolling O'Connell Street would have a visibility and presence which would make itself felt. I understand and believe the Garda approves of it. Their height alone would have an effect which eight, ten, 12 or 14 gardaí would not. It would have a deterrent effect. The amount of drugs and drunkenness in the city centre sometimes gives rise to trouble which might not happen if a small number of mounted gardaí were present.

There are some side benefits. A mounted Garda unit would help promote our horse industry to the outside world. It would provide colour on ceremonial occassions although I have been informed by Senator Henry that the Blue Huzzar uniforms have been sold to Guinness. These are only the icing on the cake. The real advantage is it offers more effective policing at relatively little cost. The costs have been calculated and are in the files. I hope I am pushing an open door on this occasion.

I thank Senator Quinn for giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Justice to this interesting proposal.

Methods of policing are under constant review by the Garda authorities to meet the changing needs of crime prevention and detection in our society. Such methods are continuosly being updated in order to provide the best available resources to members of An Garda Síochána in their policing duties, including, for example, more extensive use of new technology. The Minister for Justice, Deputy Owen, is totally committed to this continual assessment of policing methods and she is in regular consultation with the Garda authorities on the matter. It is in the light of the overall picture of policing methods that it is intended to look at the matter under discussion in the Seanad today.

The question of introducing mounted police in Dublin is not new, as the Senator said, and the issue has been raised and assessed a number of times over the years. Records show that in 1953 the idea was proposed by the then deputy commissioner Major General W.R.E. Murphy but, after some preliminary research, the matter was not progressed. Over the years, successive Ministers for Justice have rejected the idea and the present Minister for Justice stated in response to Parliamentary Question No. 92 on 22 February 1995 that she was not convinced the benefits of having a mounted police unit in the Garda Síochána were sufficient to divert valuable resources from other policing areas.

She also stated that the needs of the Garda and the public would be better served by putting available financial resources into such areas as the use of closed circuit television by the Garda. Through the use of CCTV, gardaí can be in a position to identify criminals at work in the streets and to respond quickly. Criminals can be caught in the act on camera and this information can be useful in obtaining convictions in court.

The Minister is aware of some of the arguments put forward by those in favour of introducing a mounted police unit. The mounted police officer is easily seen and has a commanding presence. The mounted police officer's ability to see distances can make him useful in crowded situations and he has the ability to cover ground at a reasonable pace — faster than the foot patrol but slower than the patrol car.

Mounted police can be used in various situations in patrolling city centres, for crowd control and, where appropriate, for ceremonial purposes. This latter use is something which is dependent upon national cultures. The Minister is aware, for instance, that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are used now for display and ceremonial purposes only, and have no police duties. This latter use would not unduly concern us and it is for the former two uses — patrolling city centres and assisting with crowd control — that a mounted police unit may be useful. However, there could be a counter argument that the public order needs which require mounted police in other jurisdictions do not reasonably apply here.

The argument has still to be made that investing resources in a mounted police unit for the Garda Síochána at this point will bring benefits to the force over and above areas, such as the effective beat and mobile patrolling and the use of CCTV as an aid to policing. Indeed, the use of CCTV for policing purposes has all of the advantages outlined above. It is easily seen by the public and is a very visible deterrent to the would be criminal. The geographical scope of such cameras would surpass that of any mounted police unit and the speed element of effective monitoring by cameras and other advanced communication technology would surpass that of a mounted police officer responding to the pursuit of an alleged criminal. It is for this reason that the Minister has been expanding and developing the use of CCTV as an effective policing tool for the Garda.

The first Garda CCTV system was installed in the Temple Bar area of Dublin in October 1995 and it has contributed to the detection of a number of offences, including public order offences, road traffic offences and some crimes relating to robbery and drugs. The success of the system in the Temple Bar area is very encouraging and the Minister is pleased to say that tenders are due shortly for a CCTV scheme for the O'Connell Street area of Dublin. Having obtained Government approval to provide additional funding for the expansion of Garda CCTV systems as an aid to policing as part of the recent anti-crime package, the Minister has approved Garda CCTV schemes in Finglas and Tralee and she intends to approve further schemes in other areas.

It is for the reasons that have been outlined that the Minister has concentrated on the expansion of the CCTV in the past year. However, as already stated, methods of policing are kept under constant review and the Minister consults with the Garda authorities on a regular basis on any adaptations and innovations which could bring benefits to the Force and to the public. The Minister has no difficulty in looking again at the whole question of the introduction of a mounted police unit for the Garda Síochána if changing trends in crime prevention and detection warrant it and if such proposals are put forward by the Garda Commissioner.

The Seanad adjourned at 5.15 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 13 November 1996.

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