Justice Minister sets sights on Irish burglars and crime gangs

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has pledged to crack down on burglaries and organised crime in Ireland by providing additional gardaí resources and legislating for tougher sentences and stricter bail conditions.

Ms Fitzgerald visited Garda Headquarters today to mark the launch of Operation Thor, a €5 million gardaí operation targeting burglars and crime organisations with “additional patrols, checkpoints, rapid armed response and public awareness measures”.

Operation Thor will be further supported by new laws to put in place tougher sentences and stricter bail conditions for repeat offenders.

The Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill currently before the Oireachtas will require district courts to provide for consecutive jail sentences where a burglar is being sentenced for multiple offences.

It also allows courts to refuse bail for offenders who have a previous conviction for domestic burglary coupled with two or more pending charges.

Ms Fitzgerald said the bill was “designed to keep repeat burglars off the streets and to improve the safety of our communities”.

She added: “I hope to have the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill enacted in the next few weeks so that it is available when persons charged as part of Operation Thor are coming before the courts.”

Separate work is ongoing to bring the new Bail Bill forward before the election, which Ms Fitzgerald said would “strengthen the law to protect the public against crimes committed by offenders out on bail”.

She added: “While my preference is that serial offenders charged who are likely to commit further serious offences should be refused bail, I nonetheless recognise that the targeted use of electronic monitoring has potential in reducing reoffending.

“For this reason I am bringing forward new, workable proposals in the new Bail Bill to allow the use of electronic monitoring in cases where the prosecution think it may be appropriate.”