Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:
566. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons charged with knife crimes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6128/22]
View answer
I have requested the information sought by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána, but I have not received this information in time. I will write to the Deputy as soon as the information is to hand.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 566 of 8 February 2022 where you sought:
‘The number of persons charged with knife crimes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, by county in tabular form’ .
As you will recall, I had sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand. I have received a report from the Garda authorities and the information requested is outlined below.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms any form of assault or use of a knife or other weapon to threaten and intimidate. Violent crime such as this has no place in our society. I would appeal to anyone who believes that carrying or using any form of weapon, be it a knife, or even a fist, is justified, to stop and think of the lasting damage and consequences of those decisions. Even if you believe that you are protecting yourself, the lasting impact of an assault is felt long after the blow is struck.
However, as you will appreciate, there is no singular offence of 'knife crime' and it is therefore not possible to provide average sentences as requested. It should be noted that where a more serious offence is committed and a knife is used in the commission of that offence (for example, assault or murder), that the charge brought forward will usually be for the more serious offence, and not solely possession of a weapon.
In line with a commitment in the Programme for Government, I have established an Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). The Forum is examining a broad range of issues with a focus on developing measures which will counteract the negative impact of ASB on community morale and quality of life. This has included two subgroups established to consider the specific issues of knife crime and the misuse of scramblers and quadbikes. Other subgroups may be established to tackle additional specific issues as required.
The knife crime subgroup is assessing available evidence to inform policy on knife crime, with particular reference to effectiveness of proposals, to inform both legislation and community safety policies, programmes and practices. The work of this subgroup is ongoing and is expected to conclude in the coming months.
My Department is also currently looking at data sources to improve data quality in this area. Officials are engaging with public health colleagues, as well as An Garda Síochána, to improve our understanding of the level of violent assaults within our society.
There is a comprehensive and robust legal framework in place in Ireland with respect to knife crime, including heavy penalties for breaches of the laws concerned. Indeed, the maximum penalty in the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 for a conviction for possessing a knife in a public place without good reason or lawful authority was increased from one to five years in an amendment introduced via the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.
The table below outlines the total number of charges or summons created nationwide since 1 January 2019 for offences under section 9(1) and section 9(4) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.
I would draw the Deputy's attention to the fact that multiple charges or summonses may be issued for incidents if, for example, there are multiple offenders or multiple categories of charges. Furthermore, charges or summonses may not have been issued in relation to all incidents to date. I have been further advised by the Garda authorities that it is not possible to provide a statistical breakdown at below Regional level as the low number of charges in some areas may present a data protection concern.
|
Offence Wording
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
|
Contrary to section 9(1) & (7) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990 as amended by section 39 of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009
|
1840
|
2000
|
1722
|
|
Contrary to section 9(4) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990
|
275
|
289
|
191
|
|
Total
|
2115
|
2289
|
1913
|
A further breakdown of the above totals at Regional level is contained in the following table:
|
Regional Breakdown
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
|
Dublin Region
|
1045
|
1152
|
977
|
|
Eastern Region (New)
|
360
|
375
|
320
|
|
North Western Region
|
303
|
318
|
232
|
|
Southern Region (New)
|
407
|
444
|
384
|
|
National Total
|
2115
|
2289
|
1913
|
It should be noted that figures are based on data obtained from PULSE on 2 February 2022. All figures are operational and liable to change.
