THE JUSTICE MINISTER Alan Shatter has today praised the Garda Commissioner and members of An Garda Síochána for the “proactive and targeted approach being taken to reduce burglary levels”.
Shatter said an increase in burglaries were noted towards the end of 2011 and into 2012, which prompted the Commissioner to put in place Operation Fiacla – an intelligence-led operation carried out by the Garda Síochána Analysis Service regarding crime trends and other relevant data.
Specific burglary related initiatives are being implemented in each Garda Region in support of Operation Fiacla, which have produced significant success: according to most recent figures, 4,226 persons have been arrested and 2,327 charged as at the end of February, Shatter said.
Garda Authorities have also informed Minister Shatter that Operation Acer, which forms part of Operation Fiacla in the Dublin Region, has led to a 10 per cent reduction in the number of burglaries.
“The success the Gardaí are having, as is clear from the figures, is undoubtedly evidence that ‘smart policing’ is very real and very effective,” Shatter said. “Operation Fiacla makes use of a combination of intelligence methods to identify prolific offenders and gangs involved in burglary, together with analysis of locations and times of burglaries, to anticipate and disrupt those involved in burglary.”
“Contrary to some recent commentary, the impact of Operation Fiacla, Operation Acer and all of the other supporting regional operations, illustrates the point that freeing up Gardaí from desk jobs does in fact deliver more effective policing services for the public,” he added.
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