asked the Minister for Justice the number of cases in each year in which the provisions of section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 have been used, allowing the detention for up to six hours, of suspects of offences which carry penalties of five years or more.
Written Answers. - Use of Criminal Justice Act.
25.
The powers of detention following arrest provided for by section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, came into effect on 1 July 1987. The section provides for detention for a period not exceeding six hours and, provided certain specified conditions are fulfilled, for a further period not exceeding six hours.
Statistics on the operation of the Act are compiled by the Garda authorities on a six-monthly basis. The total number of persons detained in the period 1 July — 31 December 1987 was 1,938, of whom 1,701 were detained for a period not exceeding six hours. The corresponding figures for the period 1 January—30 June 1988 were 2,745, and 2,268 respectively. Statistics for the latter half of 1988 are not yet available.