New tougher penalties for attacks on emergency services are welcome – but unlikely to make a difference.

That is according to retired detective inspector Pat Marry who is warning that people convicted of the crimes are unlikely to face the heaviest sentences on offer.

He was speaking after the Government published its new Justice Action Plan – which aims to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and attacks on Gardaí.

The plan aims to increase sentences for attacks on emergency services to 12 years, while also investing in community policing.

On The Pat Kenny Show, Mr Marry said the type of people who are willing to attack a Garda are unlikely to be put off by the proposed clampdown.

“It is welcome, but whether it will make a difference – I doubt it,” he said.

“It does show solidarity by the Government with the emergency services really and the Garda that they are backing up and they understand really what the Gardaí are faced with.

“Whether the 12 years will be an incentive for those in criminality to say, ‘oh I’m not going to assault a Garda – I don’t think the 12 years would ever come into fruition really.

“The Garda would have to be very badly injured and even if someone was brought before the Circuit Court on charges of assaulting a Garda and they plead guilty, they will obviously get some mitigation.

“If they wanted to plead guilty, they would get some time off the 12 years and you may have a criminal who has had a history of let’s say maybe mental illness or drug abuse or whatever and all this would be brought up in his favour at a sentencing hearing so for someone to get a 12 years sentence I would say, is very unlikely.”

Anti-social behaviour

Also on the show criminologist Trina O’Connor said the best way to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour is to invest in communities.

“I suppose as a society we need to ask ourselves the question, this disrespect for the Gardaí or the ambulance workers or the fire brigade, where is that disrespect coming from?” she said.

“When I was a young person, we would have had huge respect for anybody that was out there safeguarding our communities.

“So that question, I suppose, needs to be asked and it is a two-pronged kind of approach we need.

“We need early intervention and we also need protections for victims of antisocial behaviour – so shop keepers for examples and shop workers who are dealing with this day, day out.”

Community investment

Ms O’Connor said Finland has been successful in cutting down on youth crime through investing in youth sports and other activities that take children off the streets.

She said that level of investment saves the Exchequer in the longer term.

“The World Health Organisation tells us that for every €1 we invest in early intervention we save the Exchequer €5,” she said.

“You have to remember, to keep someone in Mountjoy for a year, it is over €80,000 and rising.”

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