Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 November 2021
145. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice the change in the rate of theft offences in the Dublin metropolitan area in the past five years; the change in the rate of detection of such crimes over the period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57743/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the detection of and response to any criminal activity is an operational function for the Garda Commissioner, as per the Garda Síochána Act 2005. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
The operational review of crime statistics, at a national and regional level, is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner under the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Again, I play no role in these independent functions.
The Deputy may be interested to note that the most recent available crime statistics, published by the CSO on 29 September and covering the 12 months to the end of June 2021, are available on the CSO website www.cso.ie. The recorded crime statistics show crime trends in each Garda region, division and station.
The most recent statistics show that for the period 2016 to 2020, there has been a decrease of 19% for Theft & Related Offences in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.
A concerted effort has been made over the past year to ensure that the detection and prevention of criminal activity have not been adversely affected by the unprecedented demands placed on policing services by the vital support of public health guidelines.
There will be no relaxation in the collective effort of the Government and Gardaí to suppress crime. It is vital that we continue to encourage all citizens to report all instances of criminality to An Garda Síochána. Only then can the crime be properly investigated by Gardaí. These reports will allow the Garda authorities to identify any new or emerging crime trends and, where necessary, allocate Garda resources in order to tackle these developments.
