asked the Minister for Justice if he will state in respect of the past six months the number of charges and convictions in the Dublin District Courts arising from breaking and entry; and whether any of these convictions were subsequently altered by a higher court.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Breaking and Entry.
45.
Statistic in relation to crime are compiled on an annual basis and relate to the year ended 30th September in each case. Accordingly, the figures asked for by the Deputy are not available.
In the year ended 30th September, 1970, proceedings were commenced in respect of a total of 2,621 offences of the kind in question committed in the Dublin metropolitan area and a total of 1,994 persons were either convicted or got the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act in respect of them.
The records kept in the court offices in relation to appeals in criminal cases are not broken down by categories and extensive research would be needed to compile figures for appeals to correspond with the figures I have given.
46.
asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware of the extent and nature of vandalism in Dublin arising from breaking and entry; and whether in this regard he proposes to adopt any new remedies.
I am aware that the number of offences of breaking and entering is, in common with other offences, on the increase and I have no doubt that acts of vandalism are committed in many cases. The Garda are devoting all possible attention to the detection and prevention of such offences. Patrol systems are modified to permit of better coverage of areas in which the incidence of crime is high and other special measures are taken if it is thought that, in particular circumstances, they may be effective. I have already announced that an additional 400 men are to be recruited to the Garda during the next two years.