Catherine Murphy
Question:
891. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons arrested and charged with offences under Operation Preacher to date; and the number of successful convictions obtained to date. [55518/22]
View answer
I have contacted An Garda Síochána for the information requested by the Deputy, regretfully this information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 891 of 8 November 2022 where you sought:
“The number of persons arrested and charged with offences under Operation Préachán to date; and the number of successful convictions obtained to date.”
As you will recall, Minister McEntee undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.
As you will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no direct role in these independent functions.
The Garda authorities have advised that Operation Préachán was initiated in August 2022 to provide a proactive policing response to disrupt, detect and prevent criminal activities in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot, with a focus on unauthorised taking of vehicles, criminal damage, dangerous driving and public disorder.
On the 20th August 2022, a search and arrest operation took place, to investigate ten such incidents where suspect offenders were identified. The operation was conducted to apprehend the main protagonists and bring them before the courts in an effort to deter further criminal activity in the area. Five suspects were charged and brought before the courts on the 20th August 2022.
I am advised that, on 19th of September 2022, Gardaí at Ballyfermot Garda Station responded to reports of a number of vehicles driving dangerously on Cherry Orchard Avenue in Ballyfermot. A marked Garda patrol car was subsequently rammed by two of the vehicles that were driving dangerously in the area. Gardaí identified the three vehicles that were involved in the ramming of the marked Garda Patrol car. All three vehicles were stolen from the Lucan area on the 18th and 19th of September 2022. Following an extensive investigation, five suspects involved in the incident in Cherry Orchard Avenue and surrounding locations were identified and subsequently arrested on 3rd and 4th of October, 2022.
Following consultation with the Garda Youth Diversion Bureau four of the suspects were charged with unauthorised taking, dangerous driving and criminal damage offences. One of the individuals was deemed suitable for inclusion in the Juvenile Youth Diversion Programme.
I understand a file is currently being compiled for the consideration by the Director of Public Prosecutions where further charges are being recommended in relation to two suspects in the case. The suspects in the incident which occurred on 19th September, 2022 were not the original targets of Operation Préachán.
The Deputy will be interested to know that, on the 20th September 2022, in addition to Operation Préachán, a short term policing plan was immediately initiated, to address instances of anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour in the area and reassure the community that this behaviour would not be tolerated. The immediate response involved the enhanced allocation of supplementary resources to support working resources by way of additional patrols including mountain bike, beat and mobile patrols, together with the allocation of the Garda National Public Order Unit and plain clothes patrols. These resources were briefed daily and operated to a defined schedule of proactive patrols, checkpoints and identified tasks.
Local Garda management have implemented a medium term plan which shall operate until September, 2023. This plan will continue to proactively target anti-social behaviour and criminal offending by focusing on prolific offenders through specific operations which result in preferring criminal charges. Court appearances shall be followed up with intensive monitoring of bail / curfew and case management of youth and adult offenders before the Courts. This intense monitoring will involve daily actions such as but not limited to the following:
- District Tasking Unit assigned to prolific offender management and to action intelligence led operations
- The continuation of intelligence flow and intelligence led operations
- Allocation of case managers for identified prolific offenders in particular those progressing from the Juvenile Diversion Programme to the Court system
This policing strategy provides for the expansion of Community Policing in Cherry Orchard, continued Garda engagement with stakeholders and services including Dublin City Council (DCC), Health Service Executive (HSE), TUSLA, Probation Service, and Local Community initiatives including Youth Justice Initiatives.
The Garda authorities have advised that statistics are not compiled specifically relating to Operation Préachán, however, the table below, outlines the operational activity that has taken place in the Clondalkin District.
As of 31 October 2022, the following operational activity has been undertaken in the Clondalkin District which encompasses Ballyfermot, Clondalkin and Rathcoole over the past twelve months:
|
Arrests
|
1176
|
|
Charges preferred
|
1792
|
|
Summons issued
|
3675
|
|
JLO/Adult caution
|
261
|
|
Drugs seized
|
€3,903,437
|
|
Firearms Seized
|
125
|
|
Cash Seized
|
€530,144
|
