Check against delivery
Garda numbers have fallen in recent years from approximately 14,550 to 13,160 at the end of September 2013. The numbers have reduced due to a combination of retirements and the moratorium on recruitment put in place by the previous Government.
Under the "National Recovery Plan 2011 – 2014" published by the Fianna Fail / Green Government towards the end of 2010, and agreed with the Troika, the financial arrangements entered into by our predecessors meant that Garda numbers were destined to fall to below 12,000 by 2015.
My objective, despite the enormous financial pressures facing the Government and the disastrous financial legacy inherited from Fianna Fail, has been to ensure that Garda strength would be preserved at 13,000 and that recruitment would recommence in 2014.
In the context of falling Garda numbers, it was crucial that urgent action was taken to ensure the training and expertise within An Garda Síochána was used to the maximum extent, both in crime prevention and crime detection. The truth, of course, is that no matter how efficient An Garda Síochána are in both the prevention and detection of crime, and no matter how effective our laws, there will always be bad people intent on criminality. It also seems, tragically for this island, we will continue to be plagued by subversives or criminal terrorists who show no respect for human life and who wish to go back to the future and to reignite the troubles that afflicted this island for 30 years.
I want to pay tribute to the brave men and women in An Garda Síochána and the PSNI who cooperate daily and work together in the fight against those who are the enemies of all communities, both North and South, and who have no respect for the democratic will of our people as expressed in their support for the Good Friday Agreement.
In my role as Minister of Defence, I also want to thank the brave men and women in our Defence Forces for the quiet unsung work in which they are engaged in cooperation with An Garda Síochána in protecting our State and all of those who live in it. The decision made by us in Government at an early stage in 2011, to preserve the strength of the Defence Forces at 9,500, was a crucial decision to ensure their continuing operational capacity both at home and abroad at a time when that capacity was under threat as a consequence of the deal done by our predecessors in Government with the Troika. Under that deal, Defence Forces could have fallen to less than 8,000 during 2013.
Unfortunately in recent years, the use of improvised explosive devices has migrated from being a weapon of choice used solely by subversives and criminal terrorists to becoming a weapon utilised by criminal gangs which is frequently deployed in their war with each other, posing major risks to the wider community. A total of 96 such devices were neutralised by the Defence Forces in the year ending 31 December 2012 and so far up to the end of September this year, 69 have been neutralised. This work undertaken by a specialised group within the Defence Forces, at the request of An Garda Síochána, is a vital contribution to our national security and to the safety of the public.
Major Achievements in the Fight against Crime
Since becoming Minister for Justice and Equality in 2011, we have overseen the implementation of a major reform agenda to ensure that Garda resources are used to best effect.
• The new Garda roster system came into operation in April 2012. This provides a better match between policing demand and the deployment of Gardaí, so Gardaí are now available when most required.
• Garda Stations were consolidated to take account of today’s communications and transport systems, with the result that Gardaí have been released from desk duties into frontline operational policing activities and community policing.
• €4m was made available for the purchase of Garda vehicles in 2012, a further €5m was available this year for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles, and I am expecting new financing for Garda vehicles to be shortly announced. This represents a considerable financial investment in Garda transport, at a time when the level of funding available across the public sector is severely limited.
• Within four months of assuming office, I published and enacted the Criminal Justice Act 2011 which conferred crucial new powers on the Gardaí to assist in both current and future investigations into alleged white collar crime, and to require individuals who had knowledge relevant to investigations to cooperate. Within days of the Act’s commencement, it was successfully used by the Gardai to access vital information.
• Garda Districts have been amalgamated so as to provide a more efficient Garda command structure at less cost to the taxpayer.
• Operational decisions made by the Garda Commissioner and those working for him have resulted in the targeting of criminal gangs and those engaged in subversive activities, with the result that many have been convicted and sentenced before our courts and are presently in jail.
Effective and courageous policing has ended the stranglehold that criminal gangs exercised over the City of Limerick and removed fear from its streets. The Limerick we see today at this National Conference is a safer place than the Limerick of five years ago. Over 100 members of the eight main Limerick gangs are presently in prison, including 20 who were in leadership positions. Approximately 20 gang members are presently awaiting trial before our courts. It was a great privilege to have the opportunity yesterday to visit Roxboro Garda Station and to thank the Garda members there for the work they have done and continue to do on behalf of the people of Limerick.
• While some continue to obsess on the closure of Garda Stations, many of which were open for no more than 3 hours on any day, and seek for their own reasons to stoke public fear, they have failed to focus on the dramatic reduction in crime independently certified by the Central Statistics Office.
The most recently published CSO Crime Statistics detailed a reduction in criminal offences committed across the State of over 20,000 and a reduction in 12 out of the 14 crime categories.
This reduction is a result of the implementation of sound Fine Gael policies, our delivering on commitments made in the General Election and of excellent, strategic, smart operational policing directed by a Garda Commissioner who deserves the congratulations of this National Conference for his dedication and commitment, and that of all members of An Garda Síochána.
• Apart from the overall reduction in crime, the achievements of An Garda Síochána, and the Revenue, between 2011 and 2013 to date, include:
o drugs seizures valued at over €220m
o the seizure of 2.75 million litres of fuel, 27 fuel laundries detected and 106 filling stations closed because they were unlicensed or in breach of licensing conditions, and
o the seizure of over 240 million cigarettes with a retail value of €106m and over 20,000 kgs of tobacco with a retail value of €7.38m
• Responding to incidence of burglaries, the Garda Commissioner introduced Operation Fiacla last year which targets gangs involved in carrying out burglaries around the country. As at the end of this September, Operation Fiacla has led to 6,678 persons arrested and 3,770 persons charged. CSO Crime Statistics show that Operation Fiacla is having a real impact, with the most recent statistics showing an 8.9% reduction in burglary.
• In the fight against crime, crucial reform continues. Only this week, the debate started in Dáil Éireann on the DNA Database Bill which will revolutionise the approach An Garda Síochána can take in the investigation of serious crimes such as homicide, rape, sexual offences, burglary and robbery, and provides them with a crucial new tool that will be of enormous assistance for decades to come. The Forensic Science Laboratory has been furnished with resources for the necessary specialist staff and equipment to ensure the Database is ready for use as soon as the legislation comes into force.
• Work is practically complete on the preparation of a comprehensive new draft Sexual Offences Bill which will provide for many important reforms to this area of our law. It is crucial that we have the maximum protections in place to protect the wider community, including our children, from sexual predators and that all necessary care is taken to ensure those who have been the victims of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse are treated with insight and sensitivity by the legal system following the trauma they have suffered. I hope to publish this draft legislation in November.
• The good news is that the Cabinet in July agreed to my proposal to recommence Garda Recruitment. We will commence recruitment next year, and I expect we will see by the summer of 2014 the first new intake of recruits into An Garda Síochána since the Fianna Fail / Green Government put a stop on recruitment in 2009.
• It is also important that we recognise the invaluable work that is carried out in partnership between the Gardaí and communities throughout the country. In January of this year, I was pleased to participate with the Garda Commissioner in the launch of new Garda "Community Crime Prevention Guidelines", which contain advice for those wishing to set up Community Alert, Neighbourhood Watch or similar groups, and the support which local community Gardaí can provide. A new Garda Text Alert Scheme has also recently been launched, with the support of Munitir na Tíre, Neighbourhood Watch and the Irish Famers Association. This provides another mechanism by which the Gardaí can share crime prevention advice and information with the community and was very well received during it pilot phase.
Despite the disastrous legacy inherited from our predecessors in Government, our Government has managed to stay overall within budget, to keep Garda numbers higher than was planned by Fianna Fail, and to implement in just over two years more reforms than implemented by our predecessors in Government under Fianna Fail leadership for 14 years. It is also important that we acknowledge the voluntary contribution of the men and women of the Garda Reserve in assisting the Garda force with community policing and other important duties. I am pleased that membership of the Garda Reserve continues to grow and we should thank the members of the Reserve for the contribution they are making to the local community.
In conclusion, as Minister for Justice, I think it is right that I say we should all take great pride in the achievements of An Garda Síochána in recent years. Like any large body, there will always be a small number of individuals who fail to live up to the standards expected of them and there will always be some issues that give rise to difficulty and controversy, and it is important that the rules and regulations and principles which apply to policing in this State and which are in the public interest are observed.
In thanking An Garda Síochána, I also want to thank the Garda Inspectorate and the Garda Ombudsman for the important oversight roles they play and the important contribution they make to ensure good policing.
Overall the Gardaí do one hell of a job. I believe it is unfortunate that a small group of politicians in Leinster House with great regularity obsessively denigrate the Garda Force, do everything possible to undermine public confidence in it, and are incapable of acknowledging the enormous successes achieved and the courage displayed by members of the Force when confronted by evil and violent offenders including subversives.
As Minister for Justice I make no excuse for defending the Force from unjustified attacks from those who want to build political careers by criticising the work done by men and woman dedicated to their public duties. Let no one also be in any doubt that where issues arise of public concern, I will always ensure that they are addressed in an appropriate manner in the public interest.
ENDS