Róisín Shortall
Question:
160. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice the number of stolen bikes seized by An Garda Síochána in 2019 and to date in 2020; the number that were returned to owners by An Garda Síochána in the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37295/20]
View answer
The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.
I have requested information from the Garda Commissioner in relation to this matter but it was unfortunately not possible to compile it in the time available.
I will write to the Deputy directly with the information requested, when it is available.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question 160 which was for answer on 18 November 2020 where you asked for the number of stolen bikes seized by An Garda Síochána in 2019 up to the 18 November 2020; and the number that were returned to owners by An Garda Síochána in the same period. You will recall that the information could not be obtained in the time available and I undertook to consult with An Garda Síochána and contact you again when the information became available. The delay in responding is regretted.
As you will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including operational matters and recording of crimes.
The Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 provides for offences of theft, the handling of stolen property and the possession of stolen property. The offence of theft provided for by this legislation would, based on the broad nature of the offence, includes the theft of bicycles. Maximum sentences of 10 years are provided for in the case of offences of theft and handling of stolen property; while maximum sentences of 5 years are provided for the offence of possession of stolen property.
The Garda Commissioner and his management team are responsible for putting in place targeted Garda operations to tackle bike theft.
Community Gardaí are also available to provide crime prevention advice to residents' groups in areas affected by thefts, and Garda members keep injured parties appraised as to the status of investigations at all times.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that a search of the PULSE database was conducted up to 27 November 2020 to identify pedal cycles which were seized, found or recovered by An Garda Síochána in 2019 and up to 26 November 2020. Not all of the pedal cycles recovered may have been stolen in the first instance. Similarly, even if the pedal cycle was originally stolen, that theft may not have been reported to the Garda Síochána. Additionally, a pedal cycle could be seized, found or recovered in a different year to that in which it was originally lost/stolen. Unless the serial number of the pedal cycle is available, it is very difficult to definitively match a particular bike to another incident.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the tables included in the attached Appendix set out the number of pedal cycles recovered in 2019 and up to and including 26 November 2020; and the number of pedal cycles returned to their owners during the same period.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Appendix
Table 1: Pedal Cycles Recovered by Year
|
|
2019
|
*2020
|
|
Pedal Cycles seized/found/recovered
|
2,503
|
2,594
|
* Data for 2020 is for incidents recorded to 26
November 2020 only.
The Property and Exhibit Management System (PEMS) is used to track all property and exhibits in Garda possession. This is a separate database to PULSE and contains additional information in respect of the current status of property, including where same is no longer in Garda possession and has been returned to the owner. The table below provides details of the number of the pedal cycles in each year which had a status of returned to owner (based on the pedal cycle records above from PULSE).
Table 2: Pedal Cycles Returned to Owners by Year
|
|
2019
|
*2020
|
|
Pedal Cycles Returned to Owners
|
154
|
111
|
* Data for 2020 is for incidents recorded to 26 November 2020 only.
Additional Information
Information on the number of pedal cycles seized or found or recovered is based upon operational data from the PULSE system on 27 November 2020 and is liable to change. Additional information on the current property status was taken from the PEMS database which is also operational and liable to change.
