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Crime Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020

Tuesday, 10 November 2020

Questions (597)

Alan Kelly

Question:

597. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of domestic abuse cases that were investigated by An Garda Síochána during the lockdown; the number that resulted in charges; how this compares with the same months in 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34675/20]

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Written answers

The Government is fully committed to ensuring that those impacted by domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic continue to receive the highest priority. The impact of increased restrictions on domestic abuse incidents was one of the key considerations taken into account when looking at moving the country to Level 5 of the Framework for Living with Covid 19.

Additional Covid specific funding and support for victims has been put in place and continues to be available for those in need of such services. An Garda Síochána, the Courts and the Legal Aid Board continue to prioritise domestic abuse cases and I want to reassure anyone who is a victim, or at risk of, domestic or sexual abuse, that help continues to be available regardless of the restrictions we may face as a result of Covid.

With regard to the specific information requested by the Deputy, the Garda authorities have informed me that there were a total of 19,344 domestic abuse incident reports in the period 12 March 2019 to 3 November 2019; and that this year, from 12 March to 3 November 2020, there were a total of 22,540 reported incidents.

In relation to the number of incidents that have either an associated charge or a summons; in 2019 there were 3464 incidents compared to 3899 in 2020 in the same reporting period.

The Garda authorities have informed me that the search criteria applied included incidents of the following categories: Breach of Interim Barring Order, Breach of Protection Order, Breach of Barring Order, Breach of Safety Order, Domestic Dispute - No Offence Disclosed, Breach of Emergency Barring Order, or any incident type with a recorded motive of ‘Domestic Abuse’.

I am also informed by the Commissioner that Operation Faoiseamh, established to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are supported and protected during this extraordinary time and to ensure that any domestic abuse incidents receive the highest priority response, continues to operate in a targeted and proactive way. In its first phase, Garda Victim Services Offices nationwide made proactive contact with victims who have reported domestic abuse in the past, to identify any existing issues of concern. I am informed that over 8,200 contacts or attempts to contact victims of domestic abuse were recorded by Gardaí as part of that work (between 1 January 2020 and 25 May 2020). Phase II of the operation began in mid-May and this involves a focus on targeting perpetrators - and in particular, cases of persistent breaches of protection, safety and barring orders under the Domestic Violence Act. I am further informed that Phase III commenced 28th October 2020 and will continue to reach out and make contact with victims to provide reassurance, support and to offer the assistance of local and specialised resources and is committed to arresting and bringing before the courts those offenders who have breached domestic violence legislation and in particular Court Orders obtained under the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, 2018.

Gardaí also continue to develop their specialist services in this area and I am pleased that Divisional Protective Services Units have now been rolled out nationwide.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that as part of the overall response to address domestic abuse during the Covid 19 pandemic, my Department at the outset developed an inter-agency plan and is now leading efforts to identify lessons which can be learned from this plan to ensure our approach to address these issues remains up-to-date and as effective as possible. This process includes input from the community and voluntary sector working in this area.

My Department also initiated and continues to run the 'Still Here' public awareness campaign, in partnership with public sector organisations and the NGO sector. The ‘Still Here’ campaign is about getting the message out that services continue to be available to victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

In addition to the €1.9 million funding already allocated for 2020 in support of victims of crime, including victims of domestic abuse, my Department has provided an additional €327,590 to date to organisations in the sector, to support and extend the services they offer during the period of the Covid-19 crisis. I have now secured an additional €400,000 for 2021 to allow this Covid specific support to continue. This is in addition to the €2 million allocated to support services for victims of crime under Budget 2021.

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