91 Dáil Éireann

(Second Supplementary Order Paper) 91 DÁIL ÉIREANN Dé Máirt, 21 Samhain, 2017 Tuesday, 21st November, 2017 2 p.m. GNÓ COMHALTAÍ PRÍOBHÁIDEACHA PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Fógraí i dtaobh leasú ar Thairiscint: Notice of amendments to Motion 157. “That Dáil Éireann: notes: — the fear that exists in local communities posed by the threat of crime to people and their property; — the failure of the Government to respond to the need for extra, and more visible, Gardaí on the ground in local communities; — the increased ability of criminal gangs to access rural areas because of the improved motorway network; — the absence of any Garda stations in large areas of rural communities; and — the growing intolerance of local communities to organised acts of criminal violence and burglary; recognises: — the success of An Garda Síochána in fighting certain types of crime provided they are given political priority by the Government; — the support that exists in local communities for an Garda Síochána and the fight against crime; — the organized and repeated criminal activity being carried out by criminal gangs; and — that the closure of many rural Garda stations has made many rural communities more vulnerable to criminal activity; and calls for: — an increase of the number of Gardaí on the ground in local communities; — the reopening of Garda stations in rural areas that are vulnerable to criminal activity and without a nearby 24 hour Garda presence; — the increase in funding and support for Garda controlled CCTV that can be used by An Garda Síochána to detect and deter criminal activity; — the encouragement and promotion of GPS tracking and location devices to help P.T.O. protect against the robbery of farming machinery and equipment; — the amendment of our bail laws to make electronic monitoring a condition of bail, where an application for bail is made by a person who has been convicted of a serious offence in the ten years prior to the application, or where the person is alleged to have committed the offence whilst on bail for a separate offence; and — the introduction of a mechanism whereby the cost of the legal aid granted can be recouped from a person charged and convicted of an offence if that person’s financial means substantially change.” — Jim O'Callaghan, Bobby Aylward, John Brassil, Declan Breathnach, James Browne, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Pat Casey, Shane Cassells, Jack Chambers, Lisa M. Chambers, Niall Collins, Barry Cowen, John Curran, Stephen S. Donnelly, Timmy Dooley, Sean Fleming, Pat the Cope Gallagher, Seán Haughey, Billy Kelleher, John Lahart, James Lawless, Marc MacSharry, Micheál Martin, Charlie McConalogue, Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Aindrias Moynihan, Michael Moynihan, Eugene Murphy, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony, Darragh O'Brien, Éamon Ó Cuív, Willie O'Dea, Kevin O'Keeffe, Fiona O'Loughlin, Frank O'Rourke, Anne Rabbitte, Eamon Scanlon, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Robert Troy. Leasú Amendments: 1. To delete all words after “the robbery of farming machinery and equipment” and substitute the following: “— greater powers and scope to be given to Joint Policing Committees, as well as increasing their numbers, in order to ensure greater feedback from communities to the Gardaí; and — reinvestment in the National Model of Community Policing, and a reverse of the dramatic fall in numbers of dedicated Community Gardaí assisting our communities, who play a crucial role in assisting Community Alert schemes.” — Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Gerry Adams, John Brady, Pat Buckley, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Pearse Doherty, Dessie Ellis, Martin J. Ferris, Kathleen Funchion, Martin Kenny, Mary Lou McDonald, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Carol Nolan, Jonathan O'Brien, Eoin Ó Broin, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Louise O'Reilly, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Maurice Quinlivan, Brian Stanley, Peadar Tóibín. 2. To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “strongly condemns: — all criminality and reaffirms its strong commitment to upholding law and order; and — recent violent burglaries and wishes to see the perpetrators of such crimes brought to justice; recognises: — that in rural locations there is a particular fear and concern about burglaries; that Community Policing plays a key part in responding to crime by taking into account and responding to local conditions and needs; and — the crucial importance of front line policing, noting that the Government has provided for the recruitment of 4,000 civilians by 2021 so that Gardaí can undertake core policing roles; acknowledges: — that the closure of the Garda College by a previous Government in 2010 has left a legacy in terms of policing numbers and strongly reaffirms the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime; — the positive partnerships with community and farming organisations and An Garda Síochána that help enhance safety measures in rural properties; — the importance of rural dwellers knowing the Eircode for their property which can help An Garda Síochána to locate addresses in an emergency; — the value of special operations to target organised crime, in particular Operation Thor which has resulted in more than 92,040 targeted checkpoints nationwide and in the region of 6,130 arrests connected to offences including burglary, handling stolen property, possession of firearms, and drug offences; — that since Operation Thor was launched in November 2015, burglary figures have been going down – by 30 per cent in quarter four of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015; — the importance of people resisting the temptation to highlight the existence of checkpoints on social media, having regard to the fact that such information may be useful to criminals; and — the Constitutional right to criminal legal aid on foot of a means test where serious legal charges are brought; notes: — the policing advice that Garda patrols are particularly effective in crime prevention and detection; — that since the Garda College was re-opened in September 2014, 1,400 new recruits have attested; — that 200 further new recruits are scheduled to attest next month, bringing Garda numbers up to 13,500 by the end of the year; — the successful operations carried out by An Garda Síochána nationwide and the recovery of machinery, farm equipment and other stolen property and the importance of marking property with an Eircode to assist the Garda to retrieve stolen property; and — that on foot of a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, at the request of the Policing Authority, is carrying out a review of the dispersal and use of resources available to An Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities; welcomes and supports: — the Government’s plans to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians; — the introduction of 720 new Garda vehicles since the start of 2015; — the 3,700 Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch schemes nationwide; — the Garda Text Alert Scheme as an effective means for Gardaí to communicate crime prevention information to local communities, noting that the scheme is now offered in every Garda division and with 164,000 subscribers and counting and in the order of three million text messages sent annually; — the enactment of the Criminal Justice Act 2017, strengthening the laws on bail and P.T.O. amending provisions on electronic monitoring to facilitate the targeted use of those provisions in bail cases where they will be most effective; — the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Act 2015 which targets repeat burglars who have previous convictions and who are charged with multiple offences of residential burglary; — the significant financial supports provided to An Garda Síochána by this Government to tackle rural crime; — the provision of €100 million in Garda overtime in Budget 2018 to ensure a strong policing presence throughout the country; — the provision of some €330 million, including €205 million under the Capital Investment Plan 2016 – 2021, being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure over the period 2016 to 2021, to enable them to carry out their work in the most efficient manner; — the provision of €46 million in funding for Garda vehicles as part of the Capital Investment Plan 2016 – 2021; and — the actions taken by the Garda Commissioner to tackle rural crime, noting in particular, the creation of new task forces; encourages: — people to participate in the Garda Text Alert Scheme and the Community and Neighbourhood Watch Scheme; — the public to mark all equipment machinery with an Eircode to assist with the return of stolen property; — communities to avail of Community CCTV schemes, noting the €1 million funding announced earlier this year; and — qualifying persons to register for the Seniors Alert Scheme; and reaffirms the unwavering support of this House for members of An Garda Síochána and the life-threatening work they do every day on behalf of the Irish people and the unique role of the Gardaí as guardians of the peace.” — An tAire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais..

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