Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
116. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the recent incidents of car thefts in areas of Cork city in recent weeks; if she has numbers of the incidents reported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16008/22]
View answerThe budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with more than €2 billion allocated this year, including funding for the recruitment of up to 800 additional Garda trainees and up to 400 Garda staff. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe. To this end, a Garda recruitment campaign closed earlier this month and I am advised that there was a strong interest, with over 10,000 applications received.
Figures under the 'Theft/taking of vehicle and related' category of crime data, published at quarterly intervals by the CSO at Garda divisional level, illustrate that a 10 year low annual volume was reported nationwide during 2020 and 2021. Subsequently, there has been a return to pre-COVID levels of such crimes in many areas nationwide during 2022, with a comparable number of incidents to 2019, including in the Cork City Division.
The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the organisation's approaches to preventing and investigating criminal activity. I am advised by the Garda authorities that local Garda management in Cork have initiated Operation Joyrider to combat incidences of unauthorised taking of vehicles and joyriding in Cork City Division. I am informed that this operation utilises location-specific patrols, intelligence-led operations, searches and arrests to combat known individuals involved in such crimes.
I am further advised that there is cooperation between plain clothes and uniform members to combat the recent escalation in crimes which involves conducting both high visibility and covert proactive patrols. Furthermore I am informed that the Garda Síochána Analysis Service is assisting with the monitoring of crime trends and pinpointing locations of crimes, times of incidents, and locations of recovered vehicles, to optimize the use of resources to tackle such crimes.
In addition, I understand that the Crime Prevention Officer for Cork City Division is liaising with local media to promote preventative measures around the issue of car thefts, including messaging around a ‘Park Smart - Secure your Vehicle’ information campaign.
