Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2022
7. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice the way she is resourcing An Garda Síochána to tackle violence against women; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25988/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI will not spend too much time on this question but it raises an important issue, which relates to the resources An Garda Síochána has to tackle violence against women. I know this is an issue that is close to the Minister's heart. It is sometimes referred to as domestic violence but, in fact, it is a broader issue that can occur outside the home as well. What resources are being put in place to deal with this scourge?
This is an area I have prioritised and in respect of which I have been doing a huge amount of work, in conjunction with a large number of agencies, front-line workers and colleagues across the House, to try to improve the services and supports and put victims at the very centre of everything we do. An Garda Síochána plays a vital role in all of that. Gardaí are hugely important in making sure people are supported when they come forward and as they go through the criminal justice process.
We have taken a number of steps to support the Garda in this area. They include strengthening the criminal law, including work currently under way to create stand-alone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation. We are progressing a new sexual offences Bill, which I have worked on with colleagues in the justice committee, including the Deputy as Chairman. We will look to enact the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021 later this year to address the management and monitoring of sex offenders in the community. We have had preliminary trial hearings conducted under Coco's law and legislation on hate crimes is coming down the line. It is important that An Garda Síochána has strong laws to work with.
Separate to that, we have a budget of €2 billion, as I mentioned earlier, which is an increase of approximately €300 million since 2019. Part of that provision will focus specifically on addressing domestic violence - both violence against women and abuse in general. We have €10.5 million for operational expenditure on mobile devices, equipment for specialist units and ongoing training for priority areas. There will be an increase of more than 70 in the number of divisional protective services units, DPSUs, which are the specified units for dealing with these types of crimes, bringing the total number of gardaí deployed in them to 332 across the various divisions. The roll-out of the Garda Síochána (digital recording) Bill, which I hope to have enacted later this year, will be particularly helpful to first responders. Gardaí often say that the first few seconds of interacting with a perpetrator and victim after they arrive on the scene are extremely important. Getting footage of those interactions will be hugely helpful. The Garda National Protective Services Bureau, GNPSB, has completed a nationwide canvass in regard to the training needs of the DPSUs and a new training programme will be ready for delivery in the coming weeks, with in-person training expected to recommence in quarter 3 of this year. This is something for which gardaí in the DPSUs have been particularly calling.
I acknowledge and appreciate all the work being done in this area. I recognise in particular the work done by the Minister, along with my colleague, Senator Chambers, and others, in regard to the provisions on stalking and other advances that have been made in recent times.
I raise this issue as a male who has many significant females in my life, not least my daughters and wife. One of my daughters was at an event last night and, unfortunately, a shudder went through me from the involuntary fear one has that something might happen. It is hard to get away from that. It is important that we have all the preventative measures, precautions and mitigations in place. Domestic violence is often spoken about. I welcome the increase in the number of DPSUs and the other measures that have been taken. However, it needs to go beyond that, into the streets, the public domain and the wider sphere. It is important that we invest in this area.
We are all very aware of what happened to Ashling Murphy and the awful vista that was thrust upon us at the start of this year. Unfortunately, such deaths have happened too often. A societal shift, rather than any particular departmental shift, is required. We must do all we can collectively to address the issues.
I agree that it is about improving the criminal justice system, providing resources for the Garda and making sure we have stronger laws, but there also are educational and information aspects. For the Deputy's daughter or anybody else going out, it is about knowing who one can turn to and the resources and supports that are available. Knowing the Garda is there to support people is hugely important. A major part of the domestic violence strategy that will be published in the coming weeks will be a focus on education, national awareness-raising campaigns and making sure information is available to citizens but also to the Garda. We see pockets of really fantastic work happening where gardaí are working with local community groups, refuge accommodation providers locally and the various domestic violence support groups, linking in with the legal profession and schools, to highlight the challenges and dangers that are out there for younger people, particularly when they are socialising at night. It is really important that we play our role in this House in resourcing and strengthening the laws, but there also is a wider societal aspect. We had a fantastic discussion about this recently, in which we recognised that we all, men and women, need to play our part.
I will not dwell on this much further other than to say the Minister is correct about the role of community gardaí, which has been expanded in recent years. There is a sensitivity and awareness of the issues, particularly in domestic situations. I am thinking in particular of the Garda personnel in Naas, including Superintendent Oliver Henry, Garda Gary Cogan, Garda Shane Smith and others, who have responded so well and have really been to the fore in community policing and engaging with, and getting to know, people in those situations and the dynamics that apply.
I am sure that is replicated in every district in the country. That is part of the solution, along with all the things the Minister has mentioned. A societal, educational and attitudinal shift is required here. It has taken us a couple of millennia but better late than never.
We all know the local gardaí in our community. We have probably, over the past couple of years, gotten to know some of the members of the DPSUs and those who deal with very difficult and quite severe cases on a day-to-day basis. However, that is not necessarily the first place that a person will go. It is making sure that people know that the garda in the local station is there to support them and that the garda has a certain level of training. While there is specific, in-person training for the people of the DPSUs, there is also training for front-line gardaí to make sure that whether it is a victim of sexual or physical assault, or coercive control, which is an area that has finally been recognised in our domestic violence laws, they are able to respond and provide the appropriate support, resources and information in the particular situation. Key to that are the relationships they have within the community. I know Deputy Murnane O'Connor is very focused on the development of new refuges and accommodation to make sure there is a place for people to go when they go to the Garda station and cannot go home. Gardaí do considerable work in this area and it is important that we continue to support them.
