Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 October 2013
155. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide information on any Garda operations to prevent the growing problem of bicycle theft in Dublin; if he will engage with senior Gardaí to initiate a special operation similar to Project Cycle Ops in London; and if he will provide statistics on bicycle theft in Dublin for the past three years. [43917/13]
View answerAn Garda Síochána is proactive in encouraging the public to protect their property, including bicycles, and a range of measures are in place to prevent and tackle the theft of bicycles.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda initiatives in this area include a crime prevention information leaflet on bicycle security, which is available on the Garda website, www.garda.ie. The leaflet emphasises the importance of bicycle owners keeping a record of the bicycle frame identification number, colour and any other unique features. Furthermore, in July 2012, An Garda Síochána created a link from the Garda website to YouTube to promote a video on bicycle security which had been developed as a joint initiative by An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council. I am also informed that An Garda Síochána is currently rolling out a pilot scheme in a number of Garda locations which allows members of the public to view on-line photographs of recovered property, including bicycles, on the Garda page of the social media site, Flickr.
I have requested a further report from the Garda authorities in relation to the particular issues raised by the Deputy about bicycle theft in Dublin and with respect to the UK initiative referred to. I will contact the Deputy directly as soon as that report is to hand.
With regard to the statistics requested by the Deputy, the Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.
I have requested the CSO to provide statistics directly to the Deputy.
