Claire Kerrane
Question:696. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice the number of knives seized by An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2018 to 2020, by Garda division. [9398/21]
View answerWednesday, 24 February 2021
Questions (696)
Written answers
The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is responsible, by law, for the management and administration 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 question and will write to the Deputy directly with the information sought, when it is available.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51.
SUBSTANTIVE ANSWER: I refer to Parliamentary Question Number 696 for answer on 24 February 2021, in which you requested the number of knives seized by An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2018 to 2020.
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 was available.
I share your concern on the issue of knife crime and indeed all violent assaults. We are familiar with the problems in neighbouring jurisdictions in this regard and the Government is determined to ensure that similar problems do not develop here in Ireland as any stabbing incident has the potential to cause irreparable physical harm and/or tragic consequences.
I published the Justice Plan 2021 on 22 February this year, which included an action to review Garda powers in relation to dangerous weapons, including knives, to ensure they have the necessary legal tools to protect our communities.
There is a comprehensive and robust legal framework in place with respect to knife crime, including heavy penalties for breaches of the laws concerned. Under the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the maximum penalty for a conviction for possessing a knife in a public place without good reason or lawful authority was increased from one to five years.
My Department is keeping the law in relation to sentencing for knife crimes, as well as all other policies around knife crimes, such as targeted interventions, under review. This includes considering approaches adopted in other jurisdictions to reduce violent crime, including knife crime.
Knives, knife crime, and crime in general, are classified differently across jurisdictions so accurate comparisons are not readily available. With that in mind, it should be noted that research in the UK points to tougher sentencing, generally, not being seen as an effective strategy for reducing knife crime.
The Commissioner and I have discussed drawing lessons from international examples, such as Scotland and London. Although their challenges were significant and perhaps greater than ours, we can still learn from their approach.
The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and I am informed by An Garda Síochána that a query was run against the PULSE database on 1st February 2021 to identify any object of sub-type ‘knife’ linked as ‘seized’ with any incident reported nationwide since 01/01/2018. The total count of objects of type per Garda Region and Division is as follows for the past 3 years:
|
Region |
Division |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Dublin Region |
899 |
960 |
998 |
|
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. Eastern |
66 |
77 |
74 |
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. Western |
169 |
194 |
190 |
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. Northern |
184 |
168 |
145 |
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. Southern |
96 |
129 |
133 |
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. North Central |
189 |
185 |
200 |
|
Dublin Region |
D.M.R. South Central |
195 |
207 |
256 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
370 |
353 |
420 |
|
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Meath Division |
49 |
53 |
64 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Kildare Division |
64 |
52 |
72 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Wexford Division |
36 |
48 |
43 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Wicklow Division |
29 |
24 |
40 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Laois/ Offaly |
71 |
47 |
59 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Waterford Division |
66 |
49 |
73 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Westmeath Division |
23 |
45 |
25 |
|
Eastern Region (NEW) |
Kilkenny/ Carlow |
32 |
35 |
44 |
|
North Western Region |
297 |
450 |
381 |
|
|
North Western Region |
Mayo |
25 |
48 |
34 |
|
North Western Region |
Donegal |
28 |
43 |
45 |
|
North Western Region |
Louth Division |
87 |
109 |
77 |
|
North Western Region |
Galway Division |
48 |
89 |
84 |
|
North Western Region |
Sligo/ Leitrim |
42 |
39 |
50 |
|
North Western Region |
Cavan/ Monaghan |
29 |
53 |
60 |
|
North Western Region |
Roscommon/ Longford |
38 |
69 |
31 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
365 |
379 |
444 |
|
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Clare |
37 |
28 |
39 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Kerry |
39 |
37 |
28 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Limerick |
86 |
74 |
86 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Cork City |
101 |
121 |
172 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Cork West |
26 |
16 |
15 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Tipperary |
35 |
47 |
57 |
|
Southern Region (NEW) |
Cork North |
41 |
56 |
47 |
|
National |
1931 |
2142 |
2243 |
Figures are based upon operational data from the PULSE system as was available at 01:30 on 01/02/2021 and are liable to change.
I hope this information is of assistance.