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Ciarán Cuffe
asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention
has been drawn to the rise in graffiti, particularly on older brick and
stone buildings; if he will ensure that the Gardaí prioritise this
issue; and if he will further ensure that adequate recreational
facilities are provided for young people to deter them from engaging in
such criminal behaviour. |
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Minister for Justice,
Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): I can assure the Deputy that
the Garda authorities take the defacing of and damage to property very
seriously. The Garda have Operations Encounter and Assist in place,
focussing on tackling anti-social behaviour including offences of
criminal damage, such as defacing property. When gardaí detect such
offences, culprits are processed through the courts, or via the Juvenile
Liaison System, as appropriate.
The Criminal Damage Act, 1991 and the Litter Pollution Act, 1997 provide
for the offences of damaging or defacing property and I am informed by
the Garda that, in 2005 there were 7,800 proceedings commenced for
damaging property belonging to another under the Criminal Damage Act,
1991, resulting in 1,702 convictions. Proceedings were also commenced on
three occasions for an offence contrary to sections 19(1), 19(6) and 24
of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997 which specifically relates to
defacement of a structure or article, resulting in one conviction.
My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Environment and
Local Government and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht
Affairs has embarked on a pilot project to specifically deal with
incidents of graffiti. This initiative will involve the removal of
graffiti from sites in targeted areas and the clean up operation is due
to commence in the latter half of this year. The allocation of funding
for this project is €3 million.
Regarding deterring young people from criminal behaviour, I would advise
the Deputy that my Department funds Garda Youth Diversion Projects.
These projects are community-based, multi-agency initiatives that aim to
divert young people from becoming involved in anti-social and/or
criminal behaviour by providing suitable activities to facilitate
personal development, promote civic responsibility and challenge
offending behaviour. The number of such projects has grown from 12 in
1997 to 64 at present, a growth made possible in part by funding under
the National Development Plan 2000-2006. It is estimated that the 64
Garda youth diversion projects cater for approximately 2,500
participants per annum. The allocation of funding for the 64 Garda Youth
Diversion Projects (along with 7 Local Drug Task Force Projects) in 2006
is just over €6.6 million, which is an increase of € 1.2 million on
2005. It is my intention to ensure that 100 schemes will be established
nationwide before the end of 2007. I have asked the Garda Commissioner
to bring forward proposals for further community based initiatives in
this area in light of the additional funding.
It is important to emphasise too that a wide range of educational and
support services for young people generally is provided by a number of
Government Departments. In this context, I would advise the Deputy that
the Office of the Minister for Children is currently developing a policy
to promote positive recreation opportunities for young people aged 12 to
18. It is expected that the policy will be published later this year. |
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