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Figures on bail crime suspects ‘shocking’ – SF

Sinn Féin has described figures on bail released to its justice spokesperson Matt Carthy TD as “shocking”.

Deputy Carthy said that figures released to him by the Department of Justice showed that that suspects for 40,348 crimes carried out in 2024 were on bail release – an increase of almost 5,000 since 2022.

The Sinn Féin TD said that “many, if not most” of the crimes committed would be considered relatively minor.

“But some have been very serious – including those which have resulted in the loss of life,” he added.

SF calls for ‘urgency’

Speaking in the Dáil yesterday (5 March), Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that the bail laws needed to be examined “with urgency” to ensure that they were being properly applied.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged that the figures were “huge” but added that they covered a wide range of cases.

“I do not know whether the deputy is proposing wholesale internment of everybody who is a suspect, because that is another side of the story,” he said, adding that there had to be a focus on those who had a history of crime and who were again brought before the system.

The Taoiseach said that the bail laws had been reformed, and that the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan was looking at further changes.

“But there are limits to what can be done,” he added.