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Crime Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 October 2020

Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Ceisteanna (379, 380, 381, 382)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

379. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of knife crime convictions in each of the years from 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29593/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

380. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of knife seizures by An Garda Síochána in each of the years from 2005 to 2019, including the age range of those holding the knives, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29599/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

381. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice the number of stabbing assaults in each of the years from 2005 to 2019, including the age range of perpetrators, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29600/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

382. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice her plans to tackle the issues of knife crime and knife holding among teenagers and young persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29601/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 to 382, inclusive, together.

I can inform the Deputy that An Garda Síochána are currently operating an Assaults in Public Reduction Strategy 2019-2021, which is targeted at tackling all types of assaults in public. This national strategy is informed by a pro-arrest, early-investigation and proactive high-visibility approach to assault reduction. It places particular emphasis on prevention, education and awareness. The strategy promotes early prosecution of offenders where feasible and appropriate.

A comprehensive and robust legal framework is in place with respect to knife crime including heavy penalties for breaches of the laws concerned. Under the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the maximum penalty for a conviction for possessing a knife in a public place without good reason or lawful authority was increased from one to five years. An Garda Síochána also have an extended power of search without warrant in relation to knives and offensive weapons.

An Garda Síochána also address the issue of knife crime through education and engagement with community initiatives.

At an operational level, An Garda Síochána pro-actively targets public disorder and anti-social behaviour, including knife-related crime, through the strategic deployment of Garda resources, and areas identified as public order hot-spots by local Garda management are the subject of additional foot and mobile patrols.

The Deputy will also be aware that my Department has published a draft new Youth Justice Strategy in tandem with an online consultation, which has been completed recently. The draft Strategy is currently being refined with reference to the outcome of the public consultation and the views of key stakeholders, with a view to presenting the finalised version to Government by the end of the year.

A key priority for this new Strategy will be to strengthen and expand the role of the Garda Youth Diversion projects and other community-based initiatives, including those working with the Probation Service. Bringing the full range of relevant interventions together in a coherent and holistic response to youth crime will support the objective of diverting young people from crime and anti-social behaviour, including knife crime.

I have requested the number of knife crime convictions in each of the years 2015 to 2019 and to date in 2020 from the Courts Service and I am advised that there are no separate code for various categories of knife crime, the code supplied to the Courts Service by An Garda Síochána includes knives or other articles which could include screwdrivers, knuckledusters, guns etc.

The following table shows the number of convictions and number of persons convicted for Possession of Knives & other Articles under Section 9(1) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990:

Year

No of convictions

No of Persons convicted

2015

467

422

2016

429

390

2017

466

417

2018

548

482

2019

593

513

Jan – 31 July 2020

280

250

The following report shows the number of convictions and number of persons convicted for Possession of Flick-Knife under Section 9(4) Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990:

Year

No of convictions

No of Persons convicted

2015

55

53

2016

54

53

2017

44

43

2018

53

53

2019

59

57

Jan – 31 July 2020

30

28

The Deputy should note that the Courts Service can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided in the tables above. Furthermore, a person may be convicted for both offences and will appear more than once on the report.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table provides the number of knife seizures by An Garda Síochána in each of the years 2005 to 2019 by Garda Division:

Division

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Cavan/Monaghan

*

14

45

23

23

26

26

12

25

37

28

27

21

29

53

Clare

10

13

26

43

40

24

18

17

26

21

29

15

35

37

28

Cork City

42

65

58

139

118

91

107

68

90

68

65

65

97

101

121

Cork North

*

16

12

13

14

18

17

20

25

24

28

20

49

41

56

Cork West

*

10

13

24

22

27

28

16

25

17

10

*

13

26

16

D.M.R. Eastern

13

24

28

22

34

50

40

35

32

46

32

35

31

66

77

D.M.R. North Central

61

113

143

184

167

197

175

164

140

131

144

98

168

189

185

D.M.R. Northern

36

58

98

143

136

148

143

109

95

82

96

86

112

184

169

D.M.R. South Central

30

70

120

155

166

178

143

151

105

112

143

128

175

194

209

D.M.R. Southern

24

49

68

89

80

99

97

105

78

90

85

95

72

96

129

D.M.R Western

45

61

76

132

166

151

155

119

148

113

116

100

120

169

194

Donegal

*

17

21

38

46

34

22

17

15

21

23

17

31

28

43

Galway Div

*

22

38

49

45

37

46

26

42

43

38

42

76

48

89

Kerry

*

10

39

36

50

38

26

40

24

34

21

26

25

39

37

Kildare Div

*

10

22

28

20

39

25

28

25

21

25

32

46

64

52

Kilkenny/Carlow

*

10

32

32

31

36

35

29

33

67

19

18

27

32

35

Laois/Offaly

*

9

19

26

30

36

27

29

33

26

29

35

49

71

47

Limerick

31

53

59

58

83

93

89

77

79

81

79

67

102

86

74

Louth Div

*

15

30

47

46

48

39

40

37

53

36

47

59

87

109

Mayo

*

*

*

20

26

*

15

*

11

15

16

16

18

25

48

Meath Div

*

*

19

39

50

45

32

39

16

38

37

26

47

50

53

Roscommon/Longford Div

*

*

19

14

30

13

23

8

11

12

23

26

22

38

69

Sligo/Leitrim

*

20

25

24

28

40

29

20

27

42

27

21

43

42

39

Tipperary

*

32

63

48

53

42

28

23

43

27

26

24

44

35

47

Waterford Div

11

17

25

55

57

64

44

51

52

41

40

49

50

66

49

Westmeath Div

*

11

13

27

21

20

17

22

27

19

24

21

20

23

45

Wexford Div

*

16

22

35

36

21

23

24

19

24

45

27

37

36

48

Wicklow Div

*

17

39

42

35

66

50

42

58

33

61

28

24

29

24

National

400

768

1177

1585

1653

1689

1519

1336

1341

1338

1345

1198

1613

1931

2145

* count is less than 10.

That Deputy should be aware that An Garda Síochána have noted that the increase in knives seized since 2017 is likely due to a change in recording practice. The Property and Exhibits Management System (PEMS) was implemented on 30/03/2016. It is expected that PEMS has had a significant impact on the electronic recording and tracking of property and exhibits across the organisation, moving from the traditional property book. This increase in records of property seized has been seen across all objects/categories since the introduction of PEMS, not just knives. The impact of PEMS implementation is clear and should be considered alongside evidence of an increase in any object being seized in the later period.

The following is a summary of the age range of Suspected Offenders associated with those same incidents whereby a knife was seized over the same period from 01/01/2005 to 31/12/2019:

Age of Person

12-17 years

18-23 years

24-29 years

30-35 years

36-41 years

42-47 years

48-53 years

54-59 years

60 years+

Proportion of Incidents

16%

28%

21%

15%

10%

6%

3%

1%

1%

I am advised by An Garda Síochána that to extract the number of stabbing assaults in each of the years 2005 to 2019, including the age range of perpetrators, a significant manual trawl of both the PULSE database would be required. This is not possible to do in time available.

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