Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 9 September 2024
1165. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update in relation to Operation Limmat; the number of gardaí involved in this operation; the amount of funding it has received; the number of arrests and prosecutions arising from the operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35284/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes all operational and investigative policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in these matters and cannot seek to direct the Commissioner in relation to such.
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that Operation Limmat was introduced in January 2022 in the DMR, with specific emphasis on reducing the harmful effect of assaults in public places in the DMR Region. This operation drives a pro-arrest, pro-enforcement, early investigation approach when incidents of assault and associated crime occur in the DMR.
Operation Limmat also promotes early prosecution of offenders with intelligence-led policing to identify hotspots where assaults occur and with a view of identifying prolific recidivist offenders.
Operation Limmat is still active in the DMR Region. All assaults that occur in public places are considered relevant to Operation Limmat.
As the Deputy will appreciate, An Garda Síochána does not hold and cannot provide a return for convictions. Queries regarding convictions data should be directed toward the Courts Service, who are responsible for providing such information. The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie
The Garda authorities have also advised me that specific details in relation to this operation are not disclosed publicly for operational reasons.
However, as per the recorded crime statistics compiled by the Central Statistics Office, there is a 3.7% reduction in assaults causing harm in the DMR when 2023 is compared with 2022.
The Garda Commissioner has assured the Minister that there will continue to be a high-visibility policing presence in the DMR. He has the resources to do so under Budget 2024, with an overtime budget to use as required and a stream of new Gardaí entering the organisation from the recruitment competitions carried out over the last three years.
Last year, the Minister for Justice provided additional overtime in Dublin and it is important to note that the overall Garda overtime budget for 2024 is a substantial increase on last year.
It may interest the Deputy to note that, as of the end of June 2024, there were 3,682 Garda members assigned to the Garda Divisions across Dublin. This represents a 5.5% increase on the number assigned to Dublin in 2015 when there were 3,491.
