Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 February 2013
501. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of warrants currently outstanding in the Garda R district as of 31 January 2013; the steps being taken in the District to deal with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6827/13]
View answerI am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows the number of outstanding warrants in the Garda R District as of 31 January 2013.
Warrants Outstanding in the Garda R District
|
Warrant Type |
Outstanding as of 31 January 2013 |
|
Penal |
4,729 |
|
Bench |
597 |
Local Garda Management is satisfied that every effort is being made to execute warrants in the R District in line with policing demands throughout the Division. The R District encompasses the Coolock, Swords and Malahide Sub-districts. There is a dedicated warrants unit in the R District to manage and execute warrants. This unit is assisted by uniform and plain clothes units who also execute warrants.
An Garda Síochána continually liaise with other agencies, including Government Departments, to locate individuals sought on warrant resulting in addresses other than those provided on the warrants being obtained. Warrants personnel also regularly liaise with the Irish Prison Service and the Courts Service to ensure that timely exchange of relevant information regarding persons sought for the service of Warrants. There can be a multiplicity of reasons why warrants can take time to execute and, in some cases, they can prove ultimately unenforceable, as the subjects of the warrants will often take every step open to them to try to avoid arrest through moving from address to address, leaving the country and so on.
I have been advised by the Garda Commissioner that at present there is an Inspector in each Garda District in the Dublin Metropolitan Region and each Division outside the DMR tasked with managing the execution of warrants, and other issues relating to them. In addition, specific members of the Force are tasked with their execution. While it is clearly important that An Garda Síochána take all possible action to ensure that warrants are executed as quickly as possible, it should be borne in mind that the vast majority of warrants do not relate to violent or the more serious categories of offence. In this regard, I have been assured by the Garda Commissioner that An Garda Síochána give priority to the execution of warrants in respect of serious crime and will continue to do so. I am also advised that there is a warrants working group in place which facilitates liaison between the various stakeholders, including the Court Service and the Prison Service and which works to identify, address and prevent difficulties in the warrants process. The work of the group is ongoing and relevant recommendations for the improvement of systems are being implemented on an ongoing basis.
Of its nature, the figure for outstanding warrants recorded by PULSE at any given time reflects an accumulation of old warrants which has arisen over the years and I have been concerned that the total figure for outstanding warrants as shown on PULSE may not be a reliable indicator of the number of 'live' warrants which are enforceable which are on hand. In this regard, I have asked the Commissioner to consider whether there may be a better way of maintaining statistics which gives a more realistic indication in relation to any backlog of warrants.
There seems little doubt that the outstanding warrants figures for previous years reflected partly the situation which then obtained in relation to the use of imprisonment in cases of non-payment of fines, a practice which I think most people now regard as highly undesirable. Since the commencement of section 14 of the Fines Act 2010, a Court is now obliged to take into account the means of the person before imposing a fine. This measure combined with other provisions such as the use of community service, payment by instalment and use of attachment of earnings should, when fully operational, have very beneficial effects on the number of warrants which the Gardaí are called on to enforce. I am in ongoing contact with the Commissioner on this matter and he has assured me that both he and his senior management team are closely monitoring the situation with a view to ensuring that warrants are executed as expeditiously as possible. I expect to receive a further report from the Garda authorities on the matter in the coming months.
