Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2024
38. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice if she will consider a weapons amnesty to help take more guns and knives off the streets and generate greater awareness about knife crime in particular; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17718/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are many complex and interlinked reasons for the use of knives in the commission of offences. When some younger people feel unsafe or under threat there can be a temptation to carry knives. Incidents involving knives can tend to increase this trend and there are certainly no quick-fix solutions to tackling this type of behaviour which is long-standing over many generations.
Long term, evidence-based strategies and local interventions by trusted youth workers are most effective as part of a wider strategic response to the types of crime in which knives are a feature, including anti-social behaviour, street violence, youth offending and domestic violence.
The Knife Crime Programme was launched by the Probation Service in January 2024, after research and consultation with colleagues in the UK and Scotland. It’s a vital tool which Probation Officers and their partners across 15 Community Based Organisations can draw on when working with young people who carry knives or have been convicted of knife related offending. While the programme focuses on knives, and their dangers, it is broadly applicable to ‘offensive weapons’, whose use and impact often overlap with knives.
I established the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, chaired by Minister of State James Browne in 2020 and this has examined a broad range of issues with a focus on developing measures which will counteract the negative impact of this behaviour on community morale and quality of life. The forum operates four sub-groups to consider specific issues, including one on knife crime and has made a number of recommendations based on the available evidence to inform criminal justice policy in this area. This work resulted in last week’s approval by the Government of my proposal to amend legislation to increase sentences for a number of knife-related crimes and to strengthen the use of Anti Social Behaviour Orders.
A weapons Amnesty was held in 2006 to afford people an opportunity to surrender illegally held weapons before the introduction of new sentences provided for in the Criminal Justice Act 2006. A number of firearms, knives and other weapons were surrendered to Garda stations.
It’s not clear what impact, if any, such amnesties have. More recent research has shown that the ease with which young people can gain access to knives and their ability to substitute a knife for another weapon suggests that knife amnesties will have a limited impact on violent behaviours using weapons.
As Minister, I have been and remain open to innovative solutions to tackle all types of crime. I understand that the consistent expert advice from An Garda Síochána is that an amnesty is not likely to yield significant benefits, especially in the context of tackling knife crime. As he will be aware, in many tragic instances, the weapon is an ordinary household/kitchen knife or a screwdriver and it could not be expected that this type of implement would be handed in during any amnesty, which would greatly limit its effectiveness. Similarly, the type of firearms handed in during a firearms amnesty are not the type of firearms generally used in violent gun attacks and consequently, an amnesty would have little effect on such activity.
I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána continue with a range of proactive measures to tackle this issue, including their ongoing assault reduction strategy, which is targeted at tackling all types of assaults, including the use of knives. This strategy is informed by a pro-arrest, early investigation, and proactive high-visibility approach.
