Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:28 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to make a serious impact on all crime, organised or otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12653/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 May 2004
Ceisteanna (34)
Freagraí scríofa
My commitment to tackling all forms of crime is based on the principle that perpetrators will be brought to justice by the gardaí, their cases dealt with expeditiously by the courts and there will be enough prison spaces to ensure that their sentences are served. This Government has devoted and will continue to devote huge resources to ensuring that where crimes are committed, the criminal law is adequate to deal with them.
I have ensured that the gardaí have unprecedented resources. This year the Garda Vote is over €1 billion for the first time ever, representing an increase of 9.5% on 2003. The increase in the Garda budget will permit an increase in the size of the force this year to 12,200, a historic high.
The Garda Síochána has a number of specialist operations in place together with prevention strategies and investigation processes whereby members of the national specialist units provide support to local units to combat and tackle all types of crime.
I am committed to ensuring that the legislative framework within which the criminal justice system must operate is kept under review. In that context if a need is identified at any stage to amend the law to deal with any particular crime problem or as a result of any initiatives arising from our international commitments, I will not hesitate to bring forward proposals for such reform.
In this regard, I draw the Deputy's attention to the Criminal Justice Bill which, as indicated in the Government's legislative programme, I expect to publish this session. The main purpose of that Bill is to improve the efficiency with which criminal offences are investigated and prosecuted. The measures I propose include: statutory power to preserve a crime scene; a general power in relation to the issue of search warrants; increased detention powers of up to 24 hours for arrestable offences; some amendments to the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence) Act 1990, in particular to reclassify saliva as a non-intimate sample; extending the power of the prosecution to appeal in limited circumstances in particular in relation to points of law; general provisions mostly of a technical nature to improve the efficiency of the prosecution of offences and; provision on the admissibility of statements by witnesses, who subsequently refuse to testify or retract their original statements.
I intend to bring forward proposals to Government to seek approval to the inclusion, whether on publication or on Committee Stage, of firearms control provisions in the Bill. I am also examining the issues surrounding sentencing in relation to drug trafficking offences and firearms offences and if I consider it appropriate I will also bring forward proposals to strengthen the law in this respect. In addition, I understand that the joint Oireachtas committee is expected to publish its report on the administration of justice shortly. I look forward to examining it and I will be prepared to take whatever action may be appropriate on foot of the report, including bringing forward further proposals for legislative reform, if necessary.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the policy of tackling organised criminal groups through targeted intelligence-led operations has yielded excellent results. This has covered several areas of criminal activities, including armed robberies and trafficking in illicit drugs. The establishment of specialist Garda units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Garda National Drug Unit, operating under an Assistant Commissioner in charge of national support services, has enabled the Garda Síochána to tackle organised crime, effectively. Other smaller units, including the money laundering investigation unit and a unit dealing with the theft of computer parts, have also had successes in combating the activities of organised criminals.
This Government has also provided the gardaí with significant additional powers to deal with all manner of criminal activity. Stringent sanctions have been introduced to deal with anti-social behaviour and street crime. The crime figures show that the number of assaults causing harm recorded in the first quarter of this year has reduced by over 17% over the same period last year. This is the fifth quarter in succession that this offence has shown a reduction. Serious crime is down 6%. This trend is a concrete indicator that crime is being firmly tackled.
While I am currently undertaking a review of the adequacy of legislative provisions, our legislative package for tackling crime is one of the toughest in Europe. The Garda Síochána has available to it a broad range of legislation to enable crime to be tackled. The Criminal Assets Bureau Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996, which have been successfully used to deprive those in criminal activity of their assets, continue to be one of the most significant legislative tools.