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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 8 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 4

Hospitals Building Programme. - Armed Raids.

(Mayo): Is the Minister of State taking this debate?

(Mayo): I hope he is being paid.

Overtime.

(Mayo): I hope so. His versatility for playing anywhere is impressive. It would be very impressive in Lord Edward Street. In soccer, he would have been known as a sweeper.

I thank the Chair for selecting this matter. On 2 November I raised on the Adjournment the daring £100,000 armed robbery at the Bank of Ireland bureau de change at Dublin Airport a few days previously. In two minutes and 40 seconds, two or possibly three balaclava-clad raiders rammed their BMW into the glass wall at the Bank of Ireland. They made good their escape from the country's largest and busiest airport. They were in possession of a handgun and a sawn off shotgun.

A few days later another gang, armed with guns, raided the AIB branch in Tallaght. On Saturday, 6 November an even more serious armed raid and kidnapping took place. A pregnant bank manager and her husband had their home broken into in Booterstown, Dublin. They were held captive overnight and were taken at gunpoint at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning to the bank in Nassau Street, less than 500 yards from this Chamber. The manager was escorted into the bank by a gunman and was forced to open the safe. The robbers walked away with £435,000 in different currencies.

When I raised these raids on two successive weeks in the House, I was promised action and results. There was certainly action, the wrong kind of action – it was another raid. This time it was the turn of the AIB branch in Ballyfermot. Last Friday two armed raiders forced open the rear window of the bank and took the staff by surprise. The staff were ordered at gunpoint to lie on the floor. The gang went to the open safe and helped themselves to £250,000. They jumped on their motorbikes and sped away.

It is obvious that the policy of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is not working and that he is losing the battle. Armed gangs are on the rampage; zero tolerance is not working. It was a convenient cliché in Opposition. It had a ring, a resonance and it struck a chord, but it was what we all said it was – a cliché, and now it is proving nothing other than an empty echo of an Opposition dream.

The Minister trots out official statistics to try to prove that the incidence of serious crime is decreasing. The level of sex offences such as rape is increasing. In the 11 months so far this year, 48 people who were alive this time last year have died in violent circumstances, many of them at the hands of a gunman. The Minister is selective. He cites the Garda report for last year to support his case. When quoting statistics, he tells us that there were ten armed raids on banks recorded by the Garda in 1997. However, this more than trebled to 37 in 1998. These statistics relate to banks only. They do not relate to post offices, building societies, credit unions or other financial institutions.

The Minister ignores the fact that the Garda statistics contain the frightening revelation that, on top of the 61 raids last year, the figure for the first six months of this year has jumped dramatically to 92, and that is before the recent spate of armed robberies. Is it any wonder that the Garda expressed alarm at the six monthly figure? How much more alarm it must now express at the recent huge surge in armed robberies.

Will the Minister of State convey to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that what we need is action and not bluff and bluster? We need action on two fronts. We need Garda action. If the Garda needs additional manpower and resources, they should be provided. We need a successful clampdown on what has become a phenomenon which unfortunately will be repeated unless we take action. The banks have been scandalously negligent. They are multi-billion pound profit organisations. Money is their business; profit is their product. They should invest much more in putting their house in order. They have an obligation to ensure their operations are secure. Their operation last weekend was not secure. An open window was the weakness on that occasion and it was a glass wall in Dublin Airport four weeks ago. Need I say more?

We are all concerned when we hear of a number of armed raids in a short space of time. The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, already expressed his concern in a previous debate with the Deputy in the House. Needless to say, the recent incidents are the subject of extensive Garda investigations.

Given the large sums of money likely to be in circulation in the run-up to Christmas, the Minister appeals to banks and other financial institutions to review their security arrangements and not to expose themselves to unnecessary risk. The Garda Síochcána will continue to advise business and commercial concerns on the crime prevention measures available and the best practices regarding security arrangements for their persons and premises.

As in previous years, appropriate Garda resources are deployed during this period to monitor this type of activity. Garda patrolling strategies continue to be monitored and modified to provide an appropriate policing response to the demands in each area. Mobile, beat and specialist patrols pay particular attention to premises which may be the subject of this type of crime. For obvious reasons, it is not possible or desirable to describe the various initiatives in place to counteract armed crime.

The Garda authorities report that, at approximately 5.10 p.m. on Thursday, 2 December 1999, two males entered the AIB Bank branch at 283 Ballyfermot Road, Dublin 10. Entry was forcibly gained through the rear, by opening a protective shutter and breaking a window. At least one of the two males was armed. They held staff at gunpoint and robbed a substantial sum of money before fleeing the scene. No persons were injured and no shots were fired. The investigation is ongoing.

With regard to crime trends in general, the House will be aware that armed robberies and armed aggravated burglaries have shown a strong and sustained decrease in recent years. The latest published Garda statistics for these offences indicate that, in 1998, there were 62% fewer armed crimes reported than in 1994, and that the detection rate had improved from 27% to 40% over that time. Naturally, the Minister is concerned about any armed robbery, but as he has pre viously pointed out, while there is an upward trend in the armed raids this year, the level is still well below that of 1996. Armed raids on banks in particular are thankfully rare. During 1996, 37 armed raids on banks were recorded, ten in 1997 and 31 in 1998.

Given the understandable and justifiable concern caused by armed crime, it is reassuring to note that 1998 was a very successful year with regard to Garda seizures of firearms. Some 850 such weapons were seized last year, up from 580 in 1997. I am sure the House will recognise that this a significant factor in reducing armed crime.

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