DONEGAL Mayor Frank McBrearty has expressed his anger after he was forced to wait THREE MONTHS to get a response to a letter he sent to Justice Minister Alan Shatter.
And the Labour Party councillor was even more unhappy with the response he received to questions he raised about Garda resources in the county.
The Mayor says he wrote to Mr Shatter on January 16th during a crimewave across the county in which several pensioners were targeted.
But the Minister only replied on April 25. Mr Shatter did reveal that Gardai launched a special crackdown on the burglary gangs. He said Operation Liath in Donegal led to 34 arrests.
“But he didn’t answer a single question I put to him,” said Cllr McBrearty.
“The issue I raised was not the resources available to Gardai but the management of those resources and as far as I’m concerned Mr Shatter didn’t answer that.”
The Minister also refused to meet the Mayor.
The full correspondence is below:
Mayor McBrearty – letter to Alan Shatter – dated January 16.
FAO Private Secretary
Dear Minister
I am writing to you concerning the cross border crime spree that is ongoing in Donegal at present and where (OAP) pensioners are being targeted by criminal gangs from across the border. As Mayor of Donegal I am being contacted by the public and the media to comment about this crime spree. I wish to express my opinion to you concerning policing in Donegal. I have listened to other political party’s views concerning Garda Station closures and the reduction of Garda personnel. I do not accept the arguments of the other political party’s and as someone who has a vast knowledge of policing, in my opinion the problem with policing in Donegal solely lies with Senior Garda management and how they are managing policing along the border in Donegal. The problems we have with the border is that it is open and that we neighbour a different jurisdiction with different laws, so it makes it impossible to police. How do we deal with this problem, we deal with it by having a proper policing plan and accountability at the highest level within Senior Garda management which we do not have at present, the word that is used by Garda management when questioned is operational. The border in Donegal has many roads that have been reopened due to the peace process and the fact is that Donegal as a county has the longest border which neighbours three county’s(Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh) that are in a different jurisdiction. There has been many questions about policing in Donegal for many years which still have not been dealt with including question that have been asked by both our parties while in opposition. The security of the state is at risk and the health and well being of law abiding citizens are at risk due to cross border criminal gangs and we should look at the role that the army could play if they are needed. It would take up too much paper for me to go into detail about policing in Donegal, which you are well aware of. If it is the case that Senior management feel that resources is the problem then they need to reflect that to you, but I personally would not agree. During the height of the troubles which were in very difficult economical times there was a lot less Gardai than there is now. I would respectively request a meeting with yourself concerning these matters.
I look forward to your response,
Yours Faithfully,
Cllr Frank McBrearty Jnr
Mayor of Donegal
Minister Shatter’s response – dated April 25.
Dear Frank,
I refer to your correspondence dated 16 January, 2013 in relation to crime
in Donegal.
I am very conscious of the concerns surrounding a number of incidents of
aggravated burglary in County Donegal, and can assure you that the Gardaí
have taken effective operational measures to deal with this problem,
including additional patrols and checkpoints, dissemination of intelligence
within the Force concerning potential suspects and continuing close
cooperation with the PSNI. In this regard it is important to note that
there is excellent cooperation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI in
disrupting and investigating attempts by criminals to take advantage of the
border.
As you will be aware, last year the Garda Commissioner put in place a
specific operation – Operation Fiacla – to address incidents of burglary,
aggravated burglaries and related offences throughout the country.
Operation Fiacla is intelligence driven and special initiatives have been
implemented in each Garda Region to target suspect offenders. I am
informed that as of the end of March 2013, 4,226 persons have been arrested
and 2,327 persons have been charged under Operation Fiacla.
I am also informed by the Garda authorities that, running in conjunction
with national operations such as Operation Fiacla, Operation Liath was
introduced within Donegal Division in January 2013 as an operational
strategy to improve public safety and enhance the effectiveness of high
visibility police resources within the Division.
The main focus of the operation, which is ongoing, is to disrupt and
prevent criminality against older persons within the community, to
apprehend suspects in the commission and the attempted commission of
offences, and to fully investigate, detect and prosecute any offences
outstanding against those suspects and groups. This will be achieved
through a focused, targeted and coordinated approach by An Garda Síochána.
The objectives of the operation are being addressed through intelligence
led patrols, checkpoints, continued liaison between An Garda Síochána and
the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), intelligence gathering and
the continued support and rejuvenation of Neighbourhood Watch and Community
Alert schemes.
Since the introduction of Operation Liath, 12 persons have been arrested
for burglary related incidents and 22 persons have been arrested for theft
related incidents in Donegal Garda Division. These matters are currently
before the Courts.
I regret that due to a very heavy schedule I am not in a position to meet
with you at this time. However, the Garda Commissioner has assured me that
bringing the perpetrators of the burglary attacks in the Donegal area to
justice is an absolute priority and that An Garda Síochána is devoting all
the resources necessary to achieve this.
While I and the Garda Commissioner have been concerned at the incidence of
burglaries nationally during 2011, the official Central Statistics Office
crime figures for 2012 show that this trend has been reversed and this
coincides with the introduction of Operation Fiacla by the Garda
Commissioner last year. While I am aware of the appalling impact which
some of the burglaries in Donegal have had on the victims, I am encouraged
by the fact the CSO figures for the Donegal Division show a reduction of
8.8% in burglaries during 2012 which is actually ahead of the overall trend
nationally. Indeed the crime statistics generally are very positive and it
is clear that the Gardaí, with considerable community support, are making a
significant impact on crime.
Finally, I am assured that local Garda Management closely monitors the
allocation of all resources in the context of crime trends, policing needs
and other operational strategies in place on a District, Divisional and
Regional level, to ensure optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the
best possible Garda service is provided to the public.
Yours sincerely,
___________________
Alan Shatter T.D.
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE,
EQUALITY AND DEFENCE
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