An Garda Síochána

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 May 2022

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Questions (638)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

638. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 657 of 22 February 2022, if she has received the necessary information from the Garda authorities to answer the question. [23109/22]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

Parliamentary Question No. 657 of 22 February 2022 refers to the number of cases that the Garda computer crime unit has dealt with in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

I can assure the Deputy that the prevention and investigation of cybercrime is a priority for the Government and for An Garda Síochána. Budget 2022 provides over €2 billion in funding to An Garda Síochána. Since 2016 the budget for An Garda Síochána has increased by approximately €500m, or 33%. These funds provide for continued investment in the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB), with ongoing expansion of the Bureau.

The Bureau is the national Garda unit tasked with the forensic examination of computer media seized during the course of any criminal investigations. These include murders, cybercrime, online harassment, computer intrusions, child exploitation offences and any criminal investigation in which computers are seized or may contain evidential data. The unit also conducts investigations into cyber-dependent crimes which are significant or complex in nature, network intrusions, data interference and attacks on websites belonging to Government departments, institutions and corporate entities.

The Bureau is part of Organised and Serious Crime, and is staffed by civilian personnel and Garda members of various ranks up to Detective Superintendent. Members of the unit undergo intensive training in the area of forensic computing and cybercrime investigations, and give expert witness testimony in all types of investigations and prosecutions in court. In addition to its forensic and investigative role, GNCCB acts as a liaison with various partner agencies and law enforcement bodies.

The expansion of the GNCCB is a priority project under A Policing Service for our Future , the implementation plan for the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The aim of this project is to significantly enhance the capabilities of GNCCB to tackle cybercrime in this jurisdiction, including the establishment of six GNCCB Cyber Satellite hubs strategically located throughout the country.

I am pleased to note that Cyber Satellite hubs have recently been established in Cork, Galway, Mullingar and Wexford. These hubs are engaged in cybercrime forensics, investigations and support roles.

For the Deputy's information the table below, which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of cases that the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau has dealt with in 2020, 2021, and up to and including 9 May 2022.

Year	Cases created on GNCCB systems	Cases closed by GNCCB
2020	400	333
2021	490	431
To-date in 2022	166	162

Breakdown of Case Incident Type:

Incident Type	2020	2021	2022
Armed Robbery		3	2
CCTV Requests	2	9	2
Child Exploitation / Grooming	34	45	13
Child Pornography Enquiry	170	212	59
Criminal Damage	4
Cyber Crime - Cyber Attacks	5
Data Retrieval	35	39	8
Denial of Service		1
Disclosure of Personal Data	3	1
Drug Offenses	4	10	5
Fraud Enquiry	5
Harassment	19	23	15
Human Trafficking	1	12	4
Internal Affairs	4	20	6
Internet Investigation	2
Interpol Request	1
Missing Person		3	2
Murder - Suspect	16	7	15
Murder - Victim	2	1	4
Mutual Assistance Request	1	1
Phishing Incident	1
Ransomware	1	15	3
Sexual Assault / Rape	17	13	8
Telecommunications	1
Terrorism	10	8	1
Theft and Fraud Offences	58	56	15
Unauthorised Access	4	11	2
Website Defacement			2
Total	400	490	166