Check against delivery
Topical Issues Debate
Opening Remarks by Minister of State Ann Phelan on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD
The need for the Minister for Justice and Equality to address crime against tourists in Dublin city centre.
Niall Collins
25 March 2015
I am speaking today on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who regrets she is unable to be present for the debate due to other commitments.
The Minister wishes want to thank the Deputy for raising this important matter for debate today. I think everyone in the House can appreciate the particular difficulty and distress caused to people who are unfortunate enough to become victims of crime while travelling abroad. The Minister shares the common concern to ensure that visitors to this country have a positive experience and, where a crime does occur against a tourist, that we provide as much support and assistance as we possibly can.
As the Deputy will appreciate, policing strategy in Dublin City centre and elsewhere and the deployment of relevant Garda resources is a matter for the Garda authorities. However, the Minister is committed to supporting An Garda Síochána in providing a strong, visible policing presence throughout the country, to help reduce crime, including crimes committed against tourists.
The specific policing response to the incidence of crime in Dublin City is incorporated in the ongoing implementation of the Dublin City Centre Policing Plan. This involves a high-visibility uniformed presence on key thoroughfares, as well as the use of undercover Gardaí as appropriate. Gardai are maintaining a particular focus on drug dealing and drug related crime in the city centre area. A number of targeted city centre policing operations are in place, including Operation Pier, which concentrates on the South Quays and Temple Bar area and Operation Spire which is focussed on the O’Connell Street and North Inner City areas. There is also a specific public order unit which operates on a reactive basis as the need arises.
The Minister is very much aware of the impact of crime and related anti-social behaviour in the city centre area. In December last year she met with representatives of the Dublin City Centre Business Forum to hear their concerns at first hand. Clearly, crimes against tourists are of particular concern to many businesses in the City at a time when all concerned are redoubling their efforts to encourage tourism as an important part of the process of economic recovery.
It is important therefore that the key agencies are adopting a coordinated cross-cutting approach to address not just the incidence of crime in the city but also many of the wider underlying societal issues. Clearly these encompass far more than policing issues and the context for finding solutions must therefore encompass a coordinated approach from state agencies involved in social housing, health and drug treatment services, as well as through partnership with business, community and voluntary groups.
This is precisely the approach which is being pursued in a partnership between Dublin City Council, An Garda Síochána, the HSE and the Homelessness Executive. Important initiatives include a new multi-agency street outreach approach which is being used to work with vulnerable and high-risk individuals, particularly in relation to substance abuse. In addition, an offender management programme is being piloted to address repeat offending in the Dublin City area. These measures, combined with the Government's initiatives to tackle homelessness, are helping to address the broader aspects underling the incidence of crime and anti-social behaviour in the city centre area.
It is unfortunately a fact that in any city such as Dublin, which attracts a large numbers of tourists, there will from time to time be incidences of crime against tourists. For more than twenty years, the Irish Tourist Assistance Service (ITAS) has offered support and assistance to tourists who become victims of crime while visiting Ireland. Their aim is to offer a comprehensive service where difficulties facing a tourist in the aftermath of a crime can be addressed with a view to getting holiday plans back on track.
ITAS is a registered charity with a voluntary Board of Directors representing tourism related sectors. It is run by staff and volunteers. Since its inception in 1994 the Service has assisted over 11,000 tourists, the majority of whom continued their holiday after ITAS intervention.
The service offers support and information to tourists in the immediate aftermath of crime. It operates throughout Ireland and provides a helpline service offering information to tourists in the aftermath of crime. Translation is provided by ITAS volunteers if required. In the majority of cases tourists are referred to the Service by the Gardaí, however, other sources of referral include embassies and the tourist industry. The majority of tourists will visit the office of ITAS and use the phone/ internet and avail of personal support. Practical assistance consists mainly of mediation and practical help to replace passports, travel documentation and organise money transfers in cases where tourists have had their case/cards stolen. In an emergency situation ITAS can arrange accommodation, transport and meals for stranded tourists.
Since its inception in 2005, the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime has funded ITAS, which also receives funding from Fáilte Ireland and the hospitality industry. The Department of Justice and Equality provides ITAS with accommodation in Hanover St. East, Dublin 2, and at weekends ITAS operates out of Store St. Garda station.
To conclude, the Minister would like to return to the core provision for policing and tackling crime. The Budget provision for 2015 for the Justice sector, saw the first year-on-year budget increase since 2008, involving a total spending increase of €141 million including a 68% rise in capital funding. Together with the resumption of Garda recruitment since September last year, this clearly underlines the Ministers commitment to support An Garda Síochána in tackling crime in all its forms, working in partnership with other agencies and communities.