Dáil Statements by Minister of State Collins on Diverting Young People from Crime

Check against delivery

Thank you Ceann Comhairle,

The issue of community safety is something that I know is a top priority to the members of this house.

And there is no doubt that supporting our young people, particularly those who need it most, will play a central part in achieving this goal.

As the new Minister of State, I am filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together.

The measure of a safe community is how we care for each other, and for the most vulnerable in our society.

How we care for our young people, in particular, is central to this goal.

The Youth Justice Strategy is a forward-thinking plan designed to address the unique challenges faced by young people in Ireland.

At its core, it emphasises early intervention, prevention, family support, and community engagement.

It includes a number of key objectives aimed at promoting positive behavioural change. It is only by targeting this behaviour that we can break the cycle of young people reoffending.

We must all work towards seeking positive outcomes for young people who come into contact with the justice system.

I can assure you all that we are continuing vital work to implement our Youth Justice Strategy.

And we have made a commitment in the Programme for Government to developing a successor at the end of our current strategy’s lifespan.

A key initiative of our current strategy is the continued development and enhancement of Youth Diversion Projects.

These community-based initiatives seek to direct young people who have become involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.

They also support wider preventative work within their communities, particularly with at-risk families.

We all know that there is no quick-fix solution to directing young offenders away from a life of crime.

However, these Youth Diversion Projects offer a responsive, empathetic path towards a better life for so many.

I have been fortunate enough to see firsthand the incredible work being done by people up and down the country in these projects. In my capacity as Minister, I have visited the LIFE project in my home county of Limerick as well as Solas in the Liberties.

YDPs give renewed hope to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. They offer a chance at a better, more fulfilling life.

This work has been shown to have hugely positive impacts on these young people, their families and their community.

My department conducted a YDP evaluation which identified decreasing risk levels among participants in respect of peer relations, leisure and recreation, personality and behaviour, and attitudes and orientation.

It showed that young people who engage with YDPs were less involved in criminal or antisocial behaviour, had improved self-confidence and communication skills, had increased happiness, and an overall improved sense of hope.

Two new successful YDP applications have recently been commissioned in East Clare and North Tipperary.

I am delighted that when these projects are up and running before the end of the year we will have achieved full nationwide coverage of our Youth Diversion Programme.

This means that any child in the country who needs to avail of these services will be able to do so.

This expansion has been made possible by the unprecedented funding that has been allocated to youth justice services.

The Youth Justice Strategy is not just a plan on paper; it is a commitment to the young people of Ireland and a promise to create a brighter, more equitable future for all.

By investing in our youth, we are investing in the future of Ireland. We are building a society where young people can achieve their potential, positively impact their communities, and escape cycles of crime.

Funding for youth justice services has increased substantially from €18 million in 2020 to just over €36 million in Budget 2025.

It has also allowed for increased availability of these services at weekends and late at night, a key recommendation from my department’s evaluation.

It ensures that these vital services are made available when many young people need them most.

And it increases our supports for those young people who are hardest to reach and allows for early interventions for 8-11 year olds who may be at increased risk of becoming engaged in criminal activity.

All of this reflects our continued commitment to investing in our youth for the betterment of our communities.

We have also made a commitment to expanding these services to be available to 18-24 year olds.

We know from international research that a number of factors place young adults in this age group at a higher risk of becoming involved in criminal behaviour.

It is important to reach out to this age group and ensure they recognise they will not be abandoned and left to fend for themselves when they officially become young adults as they turn 18.

It is also very important to emphasise that youth diversion is not about people avoiding consequences for their actions.

It is about recognising that many people who stray from the path need guidance and support to prevent them from re-offending.

Every cent that we invest in diverting young people away from the criminal justice system pays us back in spades.

It is also important to emphasise that diversion works.

At the time of the introduction of the Children Act 2001, some 30,000 children committed crimes each year.

By 2016 that had reduced to 10,000 approximately.

This decline has continued - in 2023, the most recent year for which official figures are available, the figure was 7,843.

Another example of our commitment to youth justice is in the Greentown Programme, established by my department in 2020.

The programme aims to reduce the influence of criminal networks on children at risk of involvement.

It also seeks to improve the likelihood of pro-social outcomes for children who are already involved in these criminal networks.

The Greentown Programme has been in place in two locations since 2021 and has now been extended for a further three years.

Over the last two years, there has been notable improvements in reducing the influence of criminal networks in the trial site communities.

Children and families are better enabled to withstand the powerful attraction of network membership and to make pro-social choices.

The programme also targets adults who seek to groom children into their criminal networks as one of its key pillars.

Reducing the susceptibility of the young people concerned to negative influence by criminal networks has laid positive foundations for greater concentration on the network disruption pillar over this second phase of the trial sites.

To further support this work legislation was introduced last year that makes it an offence for an adult to either force or encourage children to engage in any criminal activity.

Those found guilty of the offences under this Act may face imprisonment of up to 12 months on summary conviction and up to five years on indictment.

The legislation recognises the life-long impact and harm done to a child by drawing them into criminal activity.

We are unfortunately all too aware of the immensely damaging impact these organised crime gangs can have on communities.

This is yet another key step as we strive to deliver on our commitment to criminalise those who target some of the most vulnerable in our society, our children and young people, in order to commit offences.

A very serious issue which can result in young people being drawn into criminality is the sale and supply of drugs, most specifically drug related intimidation.

To tackle this, An Garda Síochána have run Operation Fógra since 2020. This Operation was established in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, to enhance the understanding of and support An Garda Síochána’s response to incidents of Drug Related Intimidation in the DMR.

The operation has two pillars - a harm-reduction, victim-centred approach and information-enabled policing, informing operational responses.

The objectives of Operation Fógra are to increase frontline awareness of Drug Related Intimidation, enhance collaboration with community supports, improve effectiveness of the Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme and provide a greater analytical understanding of Drug Related Intimidation, driving appropriate and proactive interventions.

An Garda Síochána continue to make arrests under this Operation. In January of this year, as part of ongoing investigations into Drug Related Intimidation, Gardaí from the DMR North Division, assisted by District Drug Units, the Armed Support Unit and the Garda Dog Unit, conducted a number of searches under warrant in North Co. Dublin. A man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s were arrested under organised crime legislation.

I commend An Garda Síochána for this work. It is important that they continue to tackle those who attempt to ensnare young people in a life of crime, either through grooming or intimidation.

In relation to tackling the sale and supply of drugs more broadly, An Garda Síochána continue to target those involved in street-level drug dealing across the country.

The focus of An Garda Síochána is on disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking networks that impact our communities, and prosecuting those involved at every level, through Operation Tara.

The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.

Under Operation Tara, individuals and groups involved in the drug trade will be the target of enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest crime trends.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. The GNDOCB was established in 2015.

Since then the unit has seized €627 million in illicit drugs, 171 firearms and 6,586 rounds of ammunition, and made 1,722 arrests.

Again, I commend An Garda Síochána for this work. The more they do to disempower those who entrap young people in crime the better.

The Garda Commissioner has stated that he will continue to target those who import and supply drugs.

I am sure that is something we all welcome and can recognise the positive impact it will have on the lives of young people across the country.

Today Minister O’Callaghan has commenced the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Act.

This act will provide for the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships across the country.

These innovative projects bring together local stakeholders with government agencies and An Garda Síochána to create a community safety plan tailored to their needs.

The Plans will assign ownership to the appropriate State body to address each concern, whether that is additional street cleaning by the local authority. or increased Garda engagement in a particular area.

Nobody understands the needs of a community better than the community themselves.

These partnerships will complement the work of YDPs, providing accessible services that young people want to engage with.

The Act also provides for a National Office for Community Safety. A function of this Office is to provide training, guidance and support to the Partnerships.

In preparation for the establishment of the National Office a number of staff, including a Director Designate, have been appointed.

These staff are engaging directly with local authorities and other stakeholders to support the establishment of the Partnerships.

These tailored approaches to community safety will address the specific needs of our young people, ensuring that no one is left behind.

By doing so, we strengthen the fabric of our society and create a more inclusive environment where every young person has the chance to thrive.

The Community Safety Fund, founded by my department, also plays a central role in supporting our communities.

This fund was established in 2021 to re-invest the moneys seized as the proceeds of crime into new, innovative community safety projects, number of which are focused on youth justice.

It highlights the great work being done by both An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau in identifying and seizing these ill-gotten gains.

And it puts that money back into local communities, for the benefit and support of those who need it most.

We are already seeing the positive impacts projects such as Steering and Sparring from Omeath District Development are having on their communities.

I can assure the house that we will continue to support initiatives like this and the many others like it across Ireland.

We have seen the incredible work that is being done by people up and down the country to improve the lives of our young people.

It is a reflection that when it comes to our young people it truly does take a village.

Finally, let me say again that youth diversion is not about young people avoiding punishment or consequences.

The aim of the statutory Garda Youth Diversion Programme is to prevent young people from entering into the criminal justice system.

An Garda Síochána’s decision on whether or not to admit a young person to the Diversion Programme is based on a number of factors.

These include the nature of the offence, the impact of the offence on the community, the views of the victim, and the offending history of the young person.

Diversion is not used for very serious offences, or for serious repeat offending.

I believe every young person deserves the opportunity to improve their quality of life.

They deserve to have choices and to be enabled to make better life decisions for themselves.

Now that we have achieved full nationwide coverage, every child will have this opportunity.

However, we cannot afford to get complacent. Too many children with complex backgrounds and needs still come to Garda attention.

We must continue to focus on working with children who are heavily involved in crime and anti-social behaviour or at risk of being groomed by criminal crimes to pull them back and give them a better pathway in life.

I can assure you that we will continue to strive to improve the quality of these children’s lives and everyone in their communities in line with our Youth Justice Strategy.

Again, I want to thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Deputies for their contributions in this debate and I look forward to further engagement with you on this.