Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2024
431. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if it is her view that existing legislation is sufficient to deal with the issue of rising knife crime, including the carrying of illegally held knives; if her Department is considering updating the law in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17396/24]
View answerThere are many complex and interlinked reasons for the use of knives in the commission of offences. Long term, evidence-based strategies and local interventions by trusted youth workers are most effective as part of a wider strategic response to the types of crime in which knives are a feature, including anti-social behaviour, street violence, youth offending and domestic violence. As the Deputy will be aware, in many tragic instances, the weapon is an ordinary household/kitchen knife, a screwdriver or similar item.
When some younger people feel unsafe or under threat, there can be a temptation to carry knives. Incidents involving knives can tend to increase this trend and there are certainly no quick-fix solutions to tackling this type of behaviour which is long-standing over many generations.
I established the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour in 2020 which has examined a broad range of issues with a focus on developing measures which will counteract the negative impact of this behaviour on community morale and quality of life. The Forum has established four sub-groups to consider specific issues, including one on knife crime, and has made a number of recommendations based on the available evidence to inform criminal justice policy in this area.
This work resulted in last week’s approval by the Government of my proposal to amend legislation to increase sentences for a number of knife-related crimes and to strengthen the use of Anti Social Behaviour Orders.
The specific offences we are seeking to increase for knife-related crimes are the penalties under Sections 9 (1) and (5), 10, 11, and 12 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.
Section 9(1): possession of a knife in a public place, to remain at a maximum penalty of 5 years.
Section 9(5): possession with intent to unlawfully cause injury, to increase maximum penalty of 5 years to 7 years.
Section 10: trespassing with a knife, weapon of offence or other article, to increase maximum penalty of 5 years to 7 years.
Section 11: production of an article capable of inflicting serious injury (to unlawfully intimidate another person),
to increase maximum penalty of 5 years to 7 years.
Section 12: the manufacture, importation, sale, hire or loan of offensive weapons, to increase maximum penalty of 7 years to 10 years.
I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána continues to put into practice a range of proactive measures to tackle this issue, including the ongoing assault reduction strategy, which is targeted at tackling all types of assaults, including the use of knives. This strategy is informed by a pro-arrest, early investigation, and proactive high-visibility approach.
