Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has learned that 165 incidents were recorded in Mayo last year when the suspected offender was on bail. The figure is a slight reduction on 2007 but an increase on 2006 when the number of incidents recorded were 156.
The figures are a damming indictment of a system that is simply not getting to grips with the reality that exists, said Deputy O’Mahony, who has previously highlighted the national situation where massive increases were reported in serious crime by individuals who were on bail at the time.
“This sharp upward trend cannot continue. Fine Gael has proposed that comprehensive restrictions should be attached to the bail conditions under which people have been released,” he said.
Dep O’Mahony is proposing the freeing up of space in the country’s jails and ensuring that those with potential to reoffend are not given the opportunity to do so. “There’s not much sense in having someone that hasn’t paid their television licence spending time in jail while a serious offender is freed on bail,” he said.
“We need to ensure that there is space in our jails for those that pose the biggest threat to our society. Offenders with the potential to re-offend should not be released on bail. It is clear that our current bail laws are not working, it is a dysfunctional system, and the legislation needs to be revised as a matter of urgency.”
