As the Deputy will be aware the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the publication of recorded crime statistics. I have requested the CSO to provide the available statistics in relation to recorded instances of threats along the lines referred to by the Deputy directly to him.
As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for me to detail the operational measures that the Garda authorities have taken or would take generally in relation to threats and members of An Garda Síochána. However, I can assure the Deputy that whatever protective and detection measures are deemed appropriate by the Garda authorities are of course taken. More generally, tackling serious and organised crime and addressing the harms it gives rise to at all levels in our community is a central policing priority, and An Garda Síochána has my full support for the strategies it has in place to give effect to this commitment. I should also say that while the criminal law in this area is being kept under ongoing review, there is a range of robust legislative provisions available to the Garda authorities in circumstances where threats or assaults are made against Gardaí.
