Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2022
18. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Justice her plans to provide additional resources to An Garda Síochána to tackle all forms of domestic violence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25993/22]
View answerTackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence is a priority for Government.
We are committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the legislation, equipment and training necessary to combat all forms of DSGBV and support victims and survivors.
I have also prioritised work in my Department to strengthen the criminal law in this area, including through the introduction of standalone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation.
I am progressing a new Sexual Offences Bill which will, among other things, better support victims. Separately I will seek to enact the Sex Offenders Bill later this year which addresses the management and monitoring of sex offenders in the community.
The Garda budget for 2022 is at an all-time high of over €2 billion, an increase of approximately €300 million since 2019.
Investing in IT and training also supports Gardaí in their work to tackle violence against women and this year I was pleased to secure an additional €10.5 million for operational expenditure – including provision for mobile devices, equipment for specialist units and on-going training for priority areas. The budget also includes provision of €147 million for ICT and Building Programme and the organisation’s transport fleet. All these investments help in tackling DSGBV as well as other crimes.
The rollout of body worn cameras to Gardaí, as provided for in the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2022, will be particularly helpful to first responders to reports of domestic abuse.
As the Deputy is probably aware, there is now a Divisional Protective Services Unit in every Garda division, with staffing in these specialist units having increased by over 70 to 332 since July 2020.
The Garda National Protective Services Bureau has completed a nationwide canvass to determine the training needs for DPSU staff and a new training programme will be ready for delivery in the coming weeks with in-person training expected to recommence in Q3 of this year.
While officers attached to DPSUs receive a range of specialist training, all Gardaí are trained as first responders so they are equipped to deal with victims, including of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
The new national strategy, which I will bring to Government shortly, will articulate the actions to support the goal of zero tolerance for gender-based violence.
Under the strategy, there will be a continued focus on awareness raising and education, not just across the criminal justice system, but across all of society’s approach to this topic.
This is with a view to ensuring everyone recognises their role in reaching our shared objective of a society where there is zero tolerance for any form of DSGBV.
