Brendan Griffin
Ceist:1615. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice if she will consider a weapons amnesty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41862/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 26 July 2022
Ceisteanna (1615)
Freagraí scríofa
I wish to assure the Deputy that the Government is very cognisant of the dangers posed by all forms of violent and weapons related crime. Clearly weapons of any kind have the potential to cause irreparable physical harm and tragic consequences and the Government remains determined to prevent Ireland from becoming a place where the problems developing in nearby jurisdictions are mirrored.
As the Deputy may be aware, the commitment to review the powers assigned to An Garda Síochána to tackle use of dangerous weapons is set out in the Justice Plan, 2022, to ensure our police force is legally equipped to protect our communities. My Department will inform progressive policy in this area by way of research and learnings from international best practice and, as well as developing new sources of data.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Forum, which I chair, convened a sub-group to examine issues relating to knife crime. This work will inform the development of relevant proposals for practical measures, including community-based programmes and for legislative amendments, where deemed necessary and appropriate.
The consistent expert advice from An Garda Síochána in relation to conducting a weapons amnesty in the face of continued weapons crimes and tragic circumstances, is that such an amnesty is not likely to yield any significant benefits. It is well understood that the type of knives frequently used in crime are ordinary household / kitchen knives and an amnesty would have no impact on the availability of such implements as they are present in almost every household.
Similarly, the type of firearms used in violent crime are not found to be the type of firearms which have historically been surrendered and, therefore, a weapons amnesty is likely to have little to no impact on violent criminality.
Minister McEntee has consulted with Garda Commissioner Harris on this issue and has agreed that further analysis is needed to provide greater insights into the level of violent incidents in society. My Department and An Garda Síochána will remain in contact on the issue.