Remarks by Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform at the launch of Crimestoppers Website College of Physicians, Kildare Street Tuesday 26 January, 2010

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be with you this afternoon. 
 
Our citizens rightly demand a strong and concerted response from the forces of law and order to problems of criminality and anti-social behaviour. In these times of financial stringency, I am determined that when decisions on allocating resources are being made, priority is given to front line policing. This year, the allocation to An Garda Síochána is €1,479 million. Yet policing numbers and resources are, by definition, finite and will always be so. It is therefore vital that everyone in society plays their part in crime prevention and assists the Gardaí in detecting crimes.

There is therefore an important role for initiatives such as Crimestoppers. If we are to have lasting success in tackling crime, it is vital that we each take responsibility and acknowledge that the Gardaí cannot tackle crime alone. They require help and assistance from us, as individuals, as organisations and as businesses.

This is a win-win situation with obvious benefits for policing activity but also for communities and business in general in lowering crime and increasing the confidence of citizens and visitors. It is an initiative which I warmly support. 

Crimestoppers has achieved some notable success within the resources at its disposal in helping the Gardaí in solving crimes and has increased its profile. There is no doubt that Crimestoppers is an effective aid to policing. The activities and approaches it has developed since it was first established have proved their effectiveness and will continue to do so. However, Crimestoppers recognises that it cannot stand still and must develop in response to changes in the way organisations reach out and communicate with citizens. I therefore welcome the development of the website, the launch of which we are marking today. Websites have been for some time now a vital tool in communicating. A dedicated website fits in particularly well with Crimestoppers' approach, since it offers someone who is thinking of providing information on crime a way of finding out privately more about Crimestoppers. This can only make it easier for people to phone the confidential help line 1 800 25 00 25 and speak to trained Gardaí.  Crimestoppers also intend to publicise the website by undertaking online advertising.

I wish to thank the Gardaí for their continuing support of Crimestoppers and the businesses and organisations who have put up funding, including An Post, Iarnród Éireann and Penneys. I am pleased that my Department has been in a position to match the funding provided by the sponsors over the past number of years. We are all aware of the financial pressures which the country and businesses are currently operating under. Nevertheless, I strongly urge businesses to consider becoming sponsors of Crimestoppers. The benefits to the community and businesses themselves, for example through the possibility of carrying out sector specific campaigns, are clear, and the cost is comparatively modest.