The Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform (Ireland), Mr. Dermot Ahern T.D., today announced the development of the State’s first White Paper on Crime. The move is part of the Government’s plan to provide tough and effective anti-crime policies, not just to deal with the immediate problems facing the country today but also far into the future. To that end, it will be the most wide-ranging and comprehensive policy development exercise ever undertaken in this area, including reviews of areas such as:
- Current law enforcement issues,
- Differing approaches to crime prevention and early intervention both nationally and internationally,
- The part played by sanctions and diversion,
- The role of victims and witnesses and
- The implications of changing technologies and social trends.
Furthermore the Minister said that in the weeks and months ahead there will be announcing further plans in areas such as;
- A ban on handguns,
- New surveillance powers to deal with gang-land crime and terrorism,
- A DNA database and
- The Justice for Victims Initiative.
Interested parties are encouraged to send their views to the Department of Justice. Updates on the White Paper process will be carried in a dedicated section of the Department’s website www.justice.ie and an email address has been set up for the purpose of receiving feedback whitepaperoncrime@justice.ie.
Minister Ahern continued: “Tackling crime is my number one priority and I am satisfied that we have the techniques and resources to do Speaking at the launch, Minister Ahern said: I believe the time has come for a new long-term strategy to fight crime – the White Paper will provide that strategy. It will be the blueprint to serve successive Governments for decades ahead. this. What this process provides is an opportunity to look to emerging needs, challenges and opportunities, and to make sure that every facet of our response is well positioned for the future.
