Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 May 2018
298. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if serious crime is on the rise in County Clare in view of comments by a judge at Ennis Circuit Criminal Court that extra sittings are needed to deal with the increasing number of criminal cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23693/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will appreciate that the Courts are independent, subject only to the Constitution and law, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on any statements made by a Judge during particular court proceedings. Furthermore, it is a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to decide whether or not a person should be prosecuted and for what crime.
The Deputy will be aware that it is that the Garda Commissioner and his management team who are responsible for the distribution of all Garda resources, including personnel, in the State and the Government has no direct role in the matter. However, I am advised by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána keep the distribution of these resources under continuous review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources, including Garda resources in Co. Clare.
While both An Garda Síochána and the Government are committed to tackling rural crime, it is perhaps worth noting that the latest recorded crime statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), indicate reductions in a number of the main crime categories in the Clare Garda Division. For example, burglary, theft and public order offences have seen decreases of 18%, 2% and 10% in 2017 when compared to the same period in 2016. These decreases coincide with Garda Operation Thor which was set up in 2015 to tackle property-related crime in all rural and urban communities across Ireland.
The most readily available figures for Operation Thor (up to 17th May, 2018), indicated that there have been:
- 7,569 arrests made;
- 8,613 charges brought;
- 32,435 searches carried out;
- 151,819 Thor related patrols;
- 130,702 checkpoints; and
- 90,616 intelligence reports generated.
For its part, the Government remains totally committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have all the necessary resources to tackle all forms of criminality in our society, which includes actions taken under Operation Thor. Indeed, some €1.65 billion has been allocated to the Garda Vote for 2018. This is an increase of approximately 2% over the allocation for 2017. €98.5m has been provided for Garda overtime for 2018 which represents an increase of €10 million over the initial allocation for 2017 (which amounted to €88.5 million). In November 2017, the Minister for Justice and Equality secured a supplementary estimate of some €42 million for Garda overtime, bringing the spend for 2017 to over €130 million. This compares to a spend in previous years of €91 million in 2016, €56 million in 2015 and some €37.7 million in 2014.
