Vol. 406 No. 5
67 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to the appalling increase in the number of robberies in houses and motor vehicles, together with an increase in vandalism, in the Ballybrack area of County Dublin; if he will arrange, as a matter of urgency, to provide additional gardaí for the area together with the necessary resources for them to carry out their job properly; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the number of indictable crimes reported in the Ballybrack area in 1990 decreased by about 21 per cent as compared with 1989. Burglaries and larcenies decreased by over 15 per cent and 31 per cent respectively and there was no increase in robberies or incidents of malicious damage. Figures for the first two months of this year are not available, but it appears that there may have been some increase as compared with the corresponding period last year.
The Garda authorities assure me that the necessary resources will continue to be allocated to the Shankill subdistrict, which includes Ballybrack, for the prevention of crime in this area. I am informed that the current Garda strength in Shankill is 42, which represents an increase of 11 since 1989. The question of assigning additional manpower there will be kept under review as additional manpower becomes available and having regard to the many other demands on Garda services in the Dublin Metropolitan Area that must be met.
The community policing scheme in Ballybrack has recently been augmented by the appointment of a second garda to community policing duties in the area. There is also, I am glad to say, a very effective neighbourhood watch scheme in operation there and a high degree of co-operation is maintained between representatives of the scheme and the local gardaí.
