Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
1279. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons arrested for burglary within the Meath Garda division on 24 and 25 December 2021; and if she will provide same figures for 2019 and 2020, in tabular form. [1902/22]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that I am very much aware of the impact of crime on rural communities and I am committed to ensuring that there is strong, visible community policing right across rural Ireland.
As the Deputy is aware, a key pillar of the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, is building stronger and safer communities. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to ensuring that there is strong, visible community policing right across Ireland, both rural and urban.
While An Garda Síochána has provided very dedicated service to assisting in the national effort to combat the threat of COVID-19, ordinary policing has of course also continued throughout the period. This includes the winter phase of Operation Thor, which was launched on 1 October 2021 and will run until 31 March 2022. Operation Thor is designed to tackle the increase in the number of burglaries and associated criminal activity that usually occur in winter months by undertaking targeted enforcement and preventative activity, highlighted through public information campaigns including 'Lock up, Light up' etc. These initiatives have been successful in dramatically reducing the rate of winter burglaries, leading to a significant decline in property-related crime since its introduction in 2015.
In relation to the number of persons arrested for burglary within the Meath Garda division on 24 and 25 December in each of the years 2019, 2020 and 2021, I am informed by the Garda authorities that a breakdown cannot be provided as An Garda Síochána do not report on incident types numbering under 10 in a given timeframe/geographic locale, due to data protection concerns.
