Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2022
230. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Justice to outline plans to promote high-visibility policing over the Christmas period in Dublin and across Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62517/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that while the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for policing matters, the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the resources needed to keep our urban and rural communities safe over the Christmas period and at all times during the year.
Budget 2023 provides funding of €2.14 billion for An Garda Síochána, which included a €5m increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána to over €100m, supporting high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that Operation Open City commenced in Dublin City on 1 December and will continue until Christmas Eve. The aim of Operation Open City is to facilitate the movement of Public Transport and minimise traffic disruption to the general public, through high visibility policing and enforcement activity.
The Garda National Christmas and New Year Roads Policing Plan also runs from 1 December to 3 January. Together, Operation Open City and the Christmas and New Year Enforcement Operation will target lifesaver offences – which include speeding, wearing of seatbelts, mobile phone use and driving while intoxicated – over the holiday period.
I am also informed that preparation in respect of this year’s New Year’s Eve Policing Operation is underway.
As the Deputy may be aware, An Garda Síochána also have a number of operations currently in place to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Dublin. This includes Operation Citizen, which aims to deliver an enhanced high visibility policing presence in Dublin city centre on a daily basis.
Operation Tara, An Garda Síochána's enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, commenced in July last year and has a strong focus on tackling street-level drug dealing throughout Ireland.
In addition, this year's winter phase of Operation Thor was launched by Gardaí on 1 October. Operation Thor is designed to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activities, which often increase in the darker winter months, through targeted enforcement and crime prevention activity and information.
One of the main focus areas of Operation Thor is crime prevention through visible, focused patrols at specific times of day, targeting burglary ‘hot-spots’ and also utilising high-visibility check points that prevent ease of movement. Operation Thor also aims to reduce burglaries by ensuring every burglary is appropriately investigated to the highest possible standard and by monitoring crime data daily for changes in trends of burglaries, associated crimes and detection rates.
Since its inception in 2015, Operation Thor has proved highly successful in tackling property-related crime and figures show that there has been a 36% reduction in the rate of such offences when compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019. The Operation's winter phase places particular emphasis on preventing any predicted surge in burglaries of residential properties during this period.
