As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police services around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement. I am assured, however, that An Garda Síochána execute warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the below table shows the count of outstanding bench warrants for the Districts requested by the Deputy and those outstanding for a period of 12 months or longer.
These figures were gathered from PULSE as of 16 September 2021 and are operational and subject to change.
District
|
Outstanding
|
12 Months or Older
|
Pearse Street
|
739
|
552
|
Store Street
|
1905
|
1625
|