Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 12 Jun 1990

Vol. 399 No. 10

Written Answers. - County Meath Crime Increase.

John V. Farrelly

Ceist:

117 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Justice the action he has taken to alleviate the fears of the people of County Meath due to the 29 per cent increase in the crime rate in the county over the last 12 months; the number of extra gardaí he has requested the Garda Commissioner to appoint; and if he has made arrangements with the Garda Commissioner to have the extra patrol cars required by the force in the county made available.

Minister for Justice (Mr. Burke)

The increase in crime in County Meath in 1989 to which the Deputy refers followed a significant decrease in the level of reported crime in 1988 over 1987. A comparison of the crime figures for Meath between 1987 and 1989 shows that the increase over the period is 8.7 per cent. The Garda authorities inform me that special measures are in place to deal with the situation. These include increased Garda patrolling and the operation of mobile checkpoints. The various policing measures being taken in Meath are being kept under ongoing review to assess their effectiveness in tackling the crime situation there.

The Garda authorities consider that the current Garda strength assigned to stations in County Meath is adequate to meet local policing needs, having regard to overall resources and the many other demands on Garda services that must be met. There are no proposals to assign additional manpower to stations in the county at present, but the position will continue to be kept under review.

I understand that the question of allocating a patrol car to Dunshaughlin is being considered.