Olwyn Enright
Question:66 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the new initiatives that are planned for crime prevention under the recent budget 2005. [32567/04]
View answerWednesday, 8 December 2004
Questions (67)
Written answers
I am firmly of the view that an appropriate level of funding is the key to ensuring that the criminal justice system, crime prevention initiatives and the other public services provided by my Department are responsive to the needs of communities, work effectively in tackling crime and help to make our streets safer. My objective over the period of the annual Estimates campaign has been to ensure that the financial resources being made available by Government for the justice sector in 2005 are appropriate to meet the many challenges that lie ahead.
I have succeeded in securing an all time historic high level of funding for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and its associated agencies. The Garda, the courts and the prisons together with the Department itself have never been better resourced or equipped. The Garda budget is over €1.1billion. Within three years the strength of the force will be 14,000. The Department's budget, which in addition to providing services at central level also supports the work of over 20 agencies which are supplying public services in legal aid, equality, immigration, private security industry and so forth, will have a budget of €366 million in 2005.
The funding will enable a number of key public policy imperatives to go ahead next year. Included in these is the recruitment of additional gardaí to increase the strength of the force by 2000 within two years, bringing its total complement to 14,000, with these additional gardaí being deployed in high visibility and non-indoor policing duties. Also included is the continuation of the national child care programme which is addressing historic shortfalls in the supply of child care facilities in all areas of the State, particularly in the designated RAPID areas, and construction of a brand new state of the art criminal court complex.
In addition, early in November last I made additional direct funding available to the Garda Síochána for the remainder of 2005. This has enabled the Garda to undertake a number of high visibility policing operations including: special burglary prevention patrols in residential housing estates; additional plain clothes and uniform patrols of areas where increased incidents of disorder are identified; additional uniform and plain clothes patrols of areas adjoining business and commercial areas of cities and large towns; additional patrols of public areas where public order problems are prevalent; increased Garda presence on the road network between now and the end of the year to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities through intensified road traffic law enforcement; high visibility uniform presence on busy thoroughfares, particularly late at night, where large numbers of people are congregated following late night entertainment, especially during the lead up to Christmas; increased inspections of licensed firearms to ensure adequate security; patrolling in the vicinity of car parks of licensed premises at key times and when serious road traffic offences are believed to be committed; increased emphasis on community policing patrols, which will entail visits to elderly and vulnerable persons residing in remote locations, and extra patrols during the lead up to Christmas to provide security for the additional cash in circulation.