asked the Minister for Justice if he will state in respect of the Dublin metropolitan area the numbers of Gardaí Síochána (a) on day duty and (b) on night duty, giving separate figures in respect of detectives.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Metropolitan Gardaí.
40.
It would not be in the public interest to disclose the information sought by the Deputy.
Although the Minister cannot give me the information which I seek, is it not a fact that the vast majority of the police force are on duty during the hours of light rather than the hours of darkness and that most crime is committed during the hours of darkness? Could he examine the situation with a view to creating a better balance; in other words, putting more police on duty during the hours of darkness to protect people's property?
I should be glad to increase the strength of the police force to deal with crime. As the Deputy suggests, most crime occurs at night. I am up against the big difficulty of the traffic in a city of the size of Dublin which demands a big proportion of the police strength.
Could the Minister possibly get some more men like Sergeant Brannigan who does such excellent work?
That is the man for them.