State officials begin training to deal with radicalised criminals
This includes sending staff to participate in the European Commission's Radicalisation Awareness Network (Ran), where experts share tactics and best practices in responding to the increasing problem of politically motivated violent extremism across the EU.
In its annual report for 2024, the Probation Service – an agency within the Department of Justice dealing with offenders – said that while cases involving radicalisation are 'relatively new and extremely rare' it has taken steps to develop capacity in this area.
One of the most high-profile examples involved the attempted murder of an Army chaplain in August 2024 by a 17-year-old boy.
Last April, the teen was jailed for eight years for the
knife attack on Fr Paul Murphy
at Renmore Barracks in Galway on August 15th, 2024. The teenager was a supporter of the
Islamic State
terror group, having become radicalised online.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott ordered the child to undergo a deradicalisation programme under the direction of the Probation Service while issuing a stark warning about the growth in violent extremism among young people.
'In the modern world, vulnerable and highly impressionable and otherwise intelligent teenagers can be the object of dangerous, manipulative, false and malicious propaganda by terrorists or other dangerous elements in society,' the judge said.
He said impressionable children are 'relatively easy prey for fanatical propagandists'.
Overall, the Probation Service dealt with a record number of referrals in 2024. It was involved in the supervision of 17,150 people, a 10 per cent increase since 2020.
Much of this was driven by an increase in community service orders being issued by judges instead of prison. More than 222,200 hours of community service were ordered last year, a 6.8 per cent increase on the previous year.
There was also a 10 per cent increased in cases involving child offenders, with 609 being referred to the Probation Service. This is higher than any other year since 2015.
The service detailed the establishment of a project specifically targeting 12- to 24-year-olds engaged in crime in Dublin's north inner city.
The initiative, know as the Diamond Project, was set up following a number of high-profile, unprovoked attacks in the city, including the assault of US tourist
Stephen Termini
by a group of teens in July 2023.
'Its mission is to work therapeutically with the young people in question, and their families, to address intergenerational trauma and adverse childhood experiences,' the Probation Service said. Twenty young people took part in the project last year.
The service has also established a Judicial Engagement Plan to promote its work among judges and encourage them 'to reserve imprisonment as a last resort.'
This comes amid severe prison overcrowding and an increase in judges sentencing offenders to short prison terms.
[
Prison service embarks on €400m building project to ease overcrowding
Opens in new window
]
Under the plan, the Probation Service is working to ensure judges understand what community-based sanctions it can offer and 'replace ad-hoc, regionally inconsistent practices with a structured framework for dialogue, feedback and accountability'.
It also set a joint goal with the
Irish Prison Service
to 'maximise' the use of community-based punishments 'as an alternative to custody and as an early release mechanism that promotes public safety'.
Elsewhere, the Probation Service supervised 129 offenders in the community who had been released from life sentences. It also supervised just over 620 sex offenders in the community.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Two men arrested after €750k worth of cannabis plants seized in Drogheda search
Two men have been arrested following a search operation in Drogheda , Co Louth , in which cannabis plants worth more than €750,000 were seized. Gardaí found a large-scale cannabis cultivation factory while searching the premises in Drogheda on Tuesday, August 5th. The men, in their 40s, were arrested at the scene and are currently being detained at Garda stations in the northeast of the country. Investigations are ongoing. The drugs seized are now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland. READ MORE The seizure forms part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels. Commenting on the investigation, Assistant Commissioner Cliona Richardson said: 'The discovery and dismantling of this sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation will affect the ability of those involved to cause harm in our communities'.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on racist attacks: no place for hate on our streets
In recent weeks there has been a disturbing uptick in reports of violent attacks targeting ethnic minorities, particularly affecting members of Ireland's Indian community. Members of that community have spoken of rising verbal abuse and assaults on Irish streets, leading them to feel unsafe. Many such incidents remain unreported to the Garda Síochána, though details have surfaced on local WhatsApp groups. The situation has left many people feeling increasingly vulnerable as they go about their daily lives in what was once seen as a welcoming environment. And last weekend the Indian embassy warned its citizens to take extra precautions for their own security. Indians have become Ireland's fastest-growing immigrant group, with thousands receiving residence permits in the past three years alone. In a relatively short period, the community has grown to become the largest non-white ethnic group in the country, contributing significantly to various sectors of the economy. Particularly notable is the valuable contribution of Indian professionals to the health service and technology industries, where their expertise is in high demand. But many now report feeling a sense of threat. The Garda has responded to the reports of violence with statements emphasising its commitment to addressing the problem. But some victims, especially those who have lived in Ireland for many years, believe that things are getting worse. They point to an increase in hostile, racially charged encounters on the streets, fuelled in part by poisonous rhetoric on social media. All of this forms part of a broader, worrying trend that has seen public spaces and public discourse become sites of escalating toxicity. READ MORE Reports suggest that many perpetrators are minors, complicating the issue of legal accountability. While recently passed hate crime legislation now makes it possible to treat racial animus as an aggravating factor when sentencing, the effectiveness of this as a deterrent remains to be seen. The debate on regulating hate speech remains contentious, as evidenced by last year's controversy over proposed legislation on the issue, which was ultimately abandoned. But alongside legislation and enforcement, civil society and individual citizens also have a role to play in rejecting those who carry out these reprehensible acts. It is concerning that in some cases, bystanders have witnessed assaults but failed to intervene or report them. However, there have also been instances where members of the public have come to the aid of victims and brought the assaults to public attention. Such solidarity sends an unequivocal signal that racist violence is unacceptable. It is everybody's shared responsibility to ensure that no one feels unsafe because of their ethnicity or the colour of their skin.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Man jailed for three months over ‘unprovoked' attack on woman jogging in Dublin
The victim of a random 'unprovoked' attack was kicked in the stomach, knocked to the ground and left in pain after she went jogging in Dublin , a court has heard. Hoyda Hamad, a Syrian national of no fixed abode who has used multiple identities, was jailed for three months on Wednesday over the incident on East Wall Road, Dublin 3, on the morning of July 26th last. It happened 18 days after he received a suspended sentence for an earlier theft. A barber by trade, the 35-year-old was charged with a section 2 assault, which carries a six-month sentence, as well as with providing a false or misleading name and address to a member of An Garda Síochána and with using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour. READ MORE Hamad pleaded guilty last week and as such the woman did not have to attend the hearing or give evidence. . Court Sergeant Olyn Murphy outlined the prosecution's evidence on behalf of investigating officer, Garda Ruth Redmond. Judge Patricia Cronin, at the sentence hearing at Cloverhill District Court, heard the incident happened at about 10.05am when the defendant assaulted the woman 'by kicking her in the stomach, causing her to fall back on the ground', and Hamad was verbally abusive towards her. She also suffered a back injury, a swollen finger and her head was 'throbbing' after the attack. Gardaí attended the scene and Hamad gave a false name and date of birth before being arrested and brought to a station to be charged. Judge Cronin noted he had two sets of previous convictions, one under the name Hamad with two theft convictions, which led to the imposition of a two-month sentence, suspended for one year, in Wexford District Court on July 8th. That term could now be activated. He also committed several other crimes under a different name: three for vehicle theft and driving offences, one for drug possession, another for burglary, one trespass and another for failing to provide a passport as required. That resulted in a 10-month prison sentence from Cork District Court on July 31st last year. In a mitigation plea, the defence counsel asked the judge to note that Hamad had pleaded guilty at an early stage, which was valuable given the moving victim impact statement, which was not read aloud during the hearing. He had been remanded in custody on the date of the incident. Judge Cronin said the victim's statement was eloquent and outlined the psychological and physical injuries, 'significant impact' and the life changes the woman made since the attack. Sentencing, the judge took into account Hamad's plea and previous convictions and that he had none under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act or similar public order matters. The three-month term was imposed on the assault charge, with the two remaining offences taken into consideration.
