Crime - Thurles Information

Justice Plan 2023 Published Today.

Justice Plan 2023 outlines over 140 headline actions to continue building stronger, safer communities.
Contains updated actions in areas such as policing, anti-social behaviour, DSGBV, civil law, immigration and family law.
Builds on work already completed or progressed under previous Justice Plans 2021 and 2022.

Minister for Justice Mr Simon Harris and Minister of State Mr James Browne have today published Justice Plan 2023, outlining over 140 actions to continue building stronger, safer communities.

The Plan, which was recently brought to government, can be read HERE.

Justice Plan 2023 is the third in a series of annual plans, building on the work already delivered under Justice Plans 2021 and 2022, which were published by Minister McEntee. The annual justice plans contain objectives and actions to deliver on the strategic goals set out in the Department of Justice’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2023, which are focused on ensuring a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland.

To ensure that progress on delivery of actions under the Justice Plan is measurable and transparent, the Department is committed to publishing two reports on progress against the Plan annually, mid-year and at the end of the year.

As was also the case with the previous Plans, actions contained within Justice Plan 2023 are grouped within five overarching strategic goals:

1. Tackle crime, enhance national security and transform policing.

Actions under this goal include:

Support the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas to enactment.
Reviewing the powers available to An Garda Síochána in relation to public order and anti-social behaviour to include the effectiveness of ASBOs.
Enhancing the Greentown Project to break the link between children most at risk of recruitment by organised crime groups.
Increase the maximum sentence for assaulting a peace officer to 12 years, to help protect our Gardaí.
Ensure the Criminal Assets Bureau remains a world leader in seizing ill-gotten gains by strengthening and updating its powers with the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Bill 2023.
Supporting legislation to increase sentences for assault causing harm, conspiracy to murder as well as creating stand-alone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation.
Investing more in An Garda Síochána to drive recruitment, fund new stations and infrastructure, such as the new Garda plane.
Support to enactment the Recording Devices Bill to provide for the nationwide roll-out of body cameras.

2. Improve access to justice and modernise the courts system.

Actions under this goal include:

Develop a world class family justice system with the needs of users at the centre of decision making, through the enactment of the Family Court Bill and implementation of the Family Justice Strategy.
Support the establishment of the Gambling Regulation Authority.
Reform professional legal education through the introduction of independent oversight for the first time; remove the barriers to becoming a solicitor or barrister; support the Establishment of the Judicial Appointments Bill, providing the biggest reform for how judges are appointed in over 25 years.
Improving access to justice by increasing the number of judges by 24 and reforming how the courts operate.
Reform and modernise Ireland’s Defamation Laws.
Support to enactment the Sale of Alcohol Bill to reform Ireland’s antiquated licensing regime.
Establish the Planning and Environmental Court to improve delivery of housing and help protect the environment.
Introduce new pre-action protocol regulations (clinical negligence) in implementation to encourage early resolution of disputes.
Amend the Occupiers Liability Act to provide for changes to the Duty of Care as part of the Government’s Plan to reduce the cost of Insurance.

3. Strengthen community safety, reduce reoffending, support victims and combat domestic, sexual and gender based violence.

Actions under this goal include:

Continue to implement Zero Tolerance, the third national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence
Work to remove the legal barriers that prevent domestic violence victims from remaining in their homes and examine how to allow An Garda Síochána issue removal orders to take offenders out of the home in high risk cases
Publish a new Human Trafficking Action Plan
Support legislation to ensure character evidence in sentencing for sexual offences trials can be tested and character witnesses cross examined
Prepare for the national rollout of new Community Safety Partnerships across the country in 2024
Establish a task force to improve education and upskilling across the criminal justice system, starting with prison education. The task force will also consider youth justice issues, will agree a work programme, and be co-chaired at Ministerial level in the Department of Justice and Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

4. Deliver a fair immigration system for a digital age.

Actions under this goal include:

Maintain the 25 per cent increase in immigration applications, as well as increasing outputs in the International Protection Office by 25 per cent in 2023.
Ensuring a fair and balanced rules based International Protection system by :
Ensuring accelerated/priority International Protection cases receive a first instance decision within 3 months.
Secure Additional Resources to support IPO process improvements.
Identifying additional measures that can be put in place to prevent travel (working with relevant stakeholders) by those with no permission to enter Ireland.

5. Accelerate innovation, digital transformation and climate action across the justice sector.

The Department will prepare and implement a Smarter Travel Action plan to encourage a move away from car as primary travel means.

Other actions in Justice Plan 2023 to be implemented will include:

Support the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022, through the Houses of the Oireachtas to enactment in order to allow for the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
Further progress implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy, which provides a developmental framework to address key ongoing challenges, as well as new and emerging issues, in the youth justice area including a new and expanded mandate for the Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) to provide full geographic availability of youth diversion services throughout the State by end of 2023.
Keep our national security legislation under review; strengthen measures to tackle terrorism through domestic action and international cooperation, draft legislation to strengthen our laws around cybercrime, and progress legislation to deal with retention of data for criminal enforcement purposes.
Put in place a revised National Referral Mechanism for victims of trafficking and publish a new National Action Plan to combat human trafficking
Publish a General Scheme of a Criminal Legal Aid Bill to modernise the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and transfer the administration to the Legal Aid Board.
Bring forward a service improvement plan for the coronial service to drive innovation; enhance customer service and improve interaction with pathology services nationwide.
Continue to progress tackling the cost of insurance, the personal injuries guidelines is making a difference in reducing the level of personal injuries awards, proposals on the duty of care will be made we will also publish research on tackling legal costs.
Progress the draft legislation to place the Irish Prison Service on a statutory footing.

Gardaí In Thurles Seize White Powder Capsules.

**Picture courtesy of An Garda Síochána, Tipperary**.

Gardaí in Thurles, Co. Tipperary who searched a man, latter observed as acting suspiciously on Friday last; seized a number of capsules containing white powder, together with a weighing scale and a pack containing zip-lock bags.

The man was arrested and charged on suspicion of being in possession of drugs for sale or supply. The substance seized, subject to further clarification, was valued at approximately €1,000.

Other Garda News

Child Struck by Motor Vehicle.

A child, male and aged under 6 years, has been hospitalised, following an accident at Carrowclough, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary.

At around 6:20pm last evening, the child was struck by a motorised vehicle. He was initially removed to Tipperary University Hospital, in Clonmel, but we understand that he has since been transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Rotunda, Dublin 1.

Three Men Injured in Single Vehicle Collision.

Shortly before 6.30am this morning a motor vehicle collided with a pole in Dundrum, 13.6km from Tipperary Town. Three men, all occupants of the vehicle were taken to University Hospital Limerick.

Witnesses to either of the above incidents are being asked to contact Tipp Town Gardaí, Tel: No. 062 51212 or indeed any Garda Station.

New Garda Recruitment Campaign Announced.

1,000 new Garda recruits to enter Templemore in 2023.

The Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris TD, has today announced that a new recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána will open for applications on this Friday, March 24th 2023, for three weeks.

This new recruitment campaign will assist in the recruitment of 1,000 new Gardaí this year, as provided for in Budget 2023, and will secure a strong pipeline of recruits into the Garda College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary, into the future.

Speaking today, the Minister for Justice stated: “A career in An Garda Síochána is a challenging but rewarding one. It will change your life and the lives of others – having a personal impact on the community you serve will give you a sense of achievement like nothing else. Being a Garda is a tough job, but is a job worth doing.

Few institutions in Irish life are as respected as An Garda Síochána. The close connection between Gardaí and the communities they serve is the envy of police services around the world.

Recruiting 1,000 Gardaí in 2023 is central to the Government’s commitment to build stronger, safer communities, and I know there will be people listening today who will hear this and think that they too can work with us to deliver on that mission.

Policing is not a career for the faint of heart – it is a career for those with strong initiative and perseverance, tolerance, composure, a strong moral compass and most importantly respect and compassion for the communities that they serve. To protect and to serve in An Garda Síochána is a worthwhile and valued career, and I would like to encourage anyone who feels up to the job to consider applying.”

Both the Government and Garda Commissioner are committed to increasing diversity within An Garda Síochána and ensuring that all communities see themselves reflected in our police service. The Garda Commissioner has put a welcome focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, as An Garda Síochána seek to embed the principle that human rights are the foundation and the purpose of policing in Ireland.

This has included changes to Garda uniform policy, the establishment of the Garda National Diversity Forum, representation from diverse and minority communities in An Garda Síochána, the establishment of a Garda internship programme focused on attracting candidates belonging to a group at greater risk of inequality or social exclusion in Irish society. An Garda Síochána are working to finalise an updated Equality, Diversity and Integration Strategy.

Minister Harris said: “It is incredibly important that a modern police service reflects the communities that it serves. If An Garda Síochána better reflects the rich diversity of Irish society, they will be better able to understand the different needs and concerns of the communities they serve and in turn make those communities stronger and safer.

An Garda Síochána is an inclusive organisation to work for, not only regardless of but embracing of your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and socio-economic background”.

Visit HERE for more information on how to apply.

There are currently over 200 trainees in the Garda College, Templemore, Co. Tipperary, derived from the most recent recruitment campaign launched in 2022 by Minster Mrs Helen McEntee.

The Garda Commissioner has outlined to the Minister his intention that four further tranches of around 225 recruits will enter Templemore throughout the rest of 2023, provided for by candidates from the previous campaign and later supplemented by the new recruitment campaign being launched by Minister Harris.

Tipperary Garda Search Result In Five Arrests For Serious Offences.

Tipperary Gardaí based in Clonmel conducted a joint-agency search operation yesterday, operating alongside personnel from Revenue Customs Service, the ISPCA and the Irish Defence Forces.

**Distressing pictures released courtesy of An Garda Síochána**

During the course of their search, Gardaí seized suspected drugs together with three caravans, which they believe had been stolen.

Fifteen dogs and three horses were also taken into care, rescued by the ISPCA, latter the leading animal welfare charity here in Ireland, which specialise in rescue, animal welfare and preventing animal cruelty.

During the course of the search operation, five persons were arrested for various offences.

Clonmel District Gardaí Seek Your Help.

Gardaí in the Clonmel District of Co. Tipperary, are seeking the assistance of the public, in relation to investigations into five incidents over the course of last weekend (10th March to 12th March inclusive), where parked vans were broken into or interfered with.
* Overnight on Friday 10th – Saturday 11th March 2023, a van parked in the Prior Park Hill estate in Clonmel, was forcibly entered and a number of tools removed.
* At approximately 11:00pm on Friday 10th – Saturday 11th March 2023, a van parked on Main Street, Fethard was forcibly entered and a number of tools removed. From enquiries it has been established that at least three suspects were involved in forcibly opening the van and were observed leaving the area in a small dark-coloured hatchback car.
* Overnight on Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th March a van parked in the Auburn Park Estate in Clonmel was entered and a number of tools removed.
* Overnight on Friday 10th – Saturday 11th March a van parked in the Glenview Estate in Carrick-on-Suir was interfered with.
* Over the course of the weekend, from the evening of Friday 10th – morning of Monday 13th March a van parked in the Killaghy Crescent Estate, Mullinahone was forcibly entered and a number of tools removed.

Enquiries are ongoing into these incidents and anyone with any information is asked to contact Clonmel Garda Station (District HQ), Telephone: 052-6177640 or the Garda Confidential Line Free-phone 1800 666 111.

Gardaí are advising the public to lock parked or unattended vehicles at all times, day and night, and to avoid keeping any sums of money or other items of value in parked vehicles.