Vol. 505 No. 6
230 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of crimes committed in County Kildare in 1998; the way in which this compares with previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14520/99]
I am informed by the Garda authorities that crime statistics are compiled on the basis of Garda operational areas, which do not always coincide with county boundaries. For this reason it is not possible to give a separate figure for County Kildare, and I can, therefore, refer only to the Carlow/Kildare division.
During 1998, 3,365 crimes were recorded in the division, which represents a 4 per cent rise over the 3,222 crimes recorded during 1997. During the same period, the detection rate increased to 46 per cent, which is 2 per cent higher than the national average. I should emphasise that these are the provisional crime figures for 1998, and subject to change as Garda investigations progress. The annual Garda report on crime for 1998 will contain the final figures when it is published later in the year.
231 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if recent figures indicate a reduction in crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14521/99]
As the Deputy will be aware, the total number of crimes recorded in 1998 was 6 per cent lower than in 1997 which, in turn, showed a decrease of 10 per cent on 1996 crime levels. Recently I mentioned in the House that the crime figures for the first quarter of 1999 showed a further decline of 9 per cent. This means that if the present trend continues crime will have fallen by 25 per cent since the Government came to office by the end of this year. This is continued evidence that the Government is delivering on its commitments and that its policies are working. The 1998 crime figures were the second lowest since 1987 and if the trend set by the first quarter of 1999 continues then 1999 could see the national total dropping below 80,000 crimes which would be very significant as it would be the first time this happened for almost 20 years.
I am pleased to note that this downward trend can be observed across a wide range of crimes. To choose some examples for 1998 burglary, aggravated burglary with firearms, robbery with firearms and robbery as a group of offences dropped by almost 9 per cent. I am also pleased to say that larceny from the person is down by 16 per cent and larceny from vehicles is also down by 8 per cent. I am sure the Deputy will join me in congratulating the Garda Commissioner and the Force for once again increasing the detection rate, which at 44 per cent represents a 1 per cent increase on last year. This is a high figure by international standards, and is evidence of the professionalism and dedication of the Garda.
