Budget increases for young offenders welcomed

PROBATION and garda representatives yesterday welcomed significant increases in budgets for young offenders.

But garda representatives said the continuing slow pace of recruiting extra gardaí meant the “thin blue line” was “close to invisible” in some places.

Associations representing probation and welfare officers and rank-and-file gardaí were responding to the publication of the Estimates.

The Department of Justice budget for Juvenile Offending Programmes, operated by the Probation and Welfare Service, is to jump by 328% to €1.97 million.

Funding for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme will rise by 22% to €6.6m.

David Williamson of the Probation and Welfare branch of Impact said: “We welcome the increase. We would take the view that the increase in juvenile offending initiatives reflects that the Government takes the view that Probation and Welfare have a central role in the provision of juvenile justice.”

Justice Minister Michael McDowell said the additional funding of €1.5m to probation juvenile programmes would allow it to continue to implement and expand on a pilot basis initiatives under the Children Act 2001.

Mr McDowell said the initiatives planned were in areas such as family conferencing, mentoring and community sanction measures.

Mr Williamson said the numerous options available under the Children Act had yet to be fully rolled out.

“Under the Children Act custody is seen as the option of last resort. There will still be some difficult situations where it is needed.”

Meanwhile, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) welcomed the extra €1.2m being allocated to the Youth Diversion Scheme.

GRA president Dermot O’Donnell said: “It’s well accepted that investment in this area is what has to happen.

“You have to have a long- term approach and those programmes are tried and tested and are known to be successful.”

Mr McDowell said the funding would allow the number of diversion programmes to increase from 60 to 100 within two years.

But Mr O’Donnell said Government promises regarding the recruitment of an extra 2,000 gardaí were “wearing very thin”.

He said the fact that garda overtime is to jump by 40% highlighted how “desperately under strength” the force was.

“The numbers are so insufficient that the thin blue line is now close to invisible in some places,” he said.

He questioned announcements in relation to the new Garda Voluntary Reserve. He said he hoped the extra funding for garda transport would mean the long-awaited upgrading of garda vehicles nationwide would now happen.