Róisín Shortall
Question:102. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of outstanding bench warrants by Garda division; and his plans to address this matter. [16940/19]
View answerWednesday, 10 April 2019
Questions (102)
Written answers
As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police forces around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement. These difficulties are compounded where the warrant has been outstanding for some years. However, I am assured that An Garda Síochána execute warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.
The Deputy will also appreciate that the figure for outstanding bench warrants recorded by PULSE at any given time reflects an accumulation of old bench warrants which has arisen over the years and that therefore the total figure for outstanding bench warrants as shown on PULSE may not be a reliable indicator of the number of 'live' warrants which are actually enforceable.
While it is important to note that an individual can be the subject of multiple bench warrants, I am advised by the Garda authorities that, as of 10 April 2019, there are 37,797 bench warrants outstanding nationally. The attached table provides a breakdown of bench warrants outstanding by Garda Division.
|
Region |
Garda Division |
Number |
|
Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) |
DMR East |
959 |
|
DMR North Central |
6,267 |
|
|
DMR North |
4,487 |
|
|
DMR South Central |
2,275 |
|
|
DMR South |
3,516 |
|
|
DMR West |
5,677 |
|
|
DMR TRFC |
33 |
|
|
Eastern Region |
Kildare |
960 |
|
Laois/Offaly |
317 |
|
|
Meath |
630 |
|
|
Westmeath |
655 |
|
|
Wicklow |
718 |
|
|
Northern Region |
Cavan/Monaghan |
863 |
|
Donegal |
672 |
|
|
Louth |
693 |
|
|
Sligo/Leitrim |
317 |
|
|
South Eastern Region |
Kilkenny/Carlow |
948 |
|
Tipperary |
858 |
|
|
Waterford |
515 |
|
|
Wexford |
618 |
|
|
Southern Region |
Cork City |
1,209 |
|
Cork North |
420 |
|
|
Cork West |
170 |
|
|
Kerry |
608 |
|
|
Limerick |
1,466 |
|
|
Western Region |
Clare |
313 |
|
Galway |
1,071 |
|
|
Mayo |
279 |
|
|
Roscommon/Longford |
283 |
|
|
Total Nationally |
37,797 |
*Operation figures from Pulse and are accurate as of 10 April 2019 and liable to change.