Before I reported progress I was referring to the changes in our society which pose new problems for the gardaí. In today's society the lowering of moral standards makes the task more difficult. I am not suggesting that this is a new situation because history has shown us that there have been many instances where the lowering of moral standards led to a state of degradation.
Today the problems facing the Garda Síochána are much more sophisticated and complicated than in the past. Therefore the Garda must be modernised and sophisticated to such a degree that they can cope effectively and efficiently with the new problems, one of which is the abuse of drugs, which unfortunately seems to be on the increase. The Garda have already tackled this problem in an admirable way and they should be given every assistance so that they can grapple not so much with the unfortunate people who have become addicts as with those who import drugs and sell them to unwary young people in this city and elsewhere.
I have no doubt that the Garda are at least containing this danger, particularly when I read of the position in other countries. The problem here is only starting but there is a danger that it will grow so long as there are people willing to pay fantastic prices for drugs. A lot of the work must be done in the home and parents must give every assistance to the Garda in their efforts to trace the suppliers.
Another modern problem is crowd control. We all agree that people have the right to protest in a legitimate way, always bearing in mind that their fellow citizens have the right freely to walk the streets of our cities. I wonder if our gardaí are being trained adequately in crowd control. Recently at a football match in Dublin I saw a sergeant and three gardaí first of all rescuing the referee and then splitting the crowd and handling it very cleverly. They must have been trained in crowd control because they did a wonderful job. We are so anglicised that what happens in London and Manchester seems to have become the pattern for behaviour at matches here. It may be said that cross-Channel and French and German police are better trained in crowd control but in the matter of controlling football mobs I think our gardaí are as good as the best. Perhaps we have not the same problem here as regards crowds.
Still I think it would be a good idea if we had a mounted police force to deal with crowds. We boast about the superiority of the Irish horse. I suggest we should have a mounted force of gardaí for crowd control. A crowd may be peaceful but it can contain unruly elements and then trouble starts. There may be panic in a crowd and there is danger in that also. Members of a crowd may suffer from claustrophobia and this may cause panic. I realise that initially it would be costly to establish a mounted police force but the rewards would be great. A mounted garda would have much more power; he would be better able to divide and control a crowd. As well, crowds would tend to be more peaceful when they realised they were dealing with mounted police. The Garda would also have better ability to protect people from those who want to stir up trouble. We now have a population of 800,000 in Dublin. By 1980 it will have risen to 1,000,000 in Greater Dublin. It is another indication of how the problems of the Garda are growing.
Therefore the Garda must be developed into a modern force, not simply to stop raids but in order to ensure that our democratic institutions are safeguarded and that even the humblest citizen will have his rights guaranteed and protected. This will cost money but although we are a small nation we should not hesitate to provide money in order to protect the rights of our citizens.
It was said earlier that political influence has been used in the Garda. We will always have such accusations. They would be made even if we had a perfect force. First of all the Garda must have the respect of the vast majority of our people. Secondly, they must be efficient and get all possible aid to give them that efficiency. I do not mention power in this context. They must be efficient and the people must know they are efficient and, therefore, trust them to deal with any situation.
I suggest that the gardaí should be engaged only in the fight against crime, in crowd control and national security. I suggest that the ban-ghardaí should be dealing solely with the problems of women and young children or those of them who have broken the law. Thirdly, we should have a traffic corps. It is no good passing laws here to control traffic if the gardaí cannot give their full attention to it because they have so many other duties to perform. The traffic corps should deal with all traffic problems. At present in this city the Garda Síochána are the traffic authority and all questions concerning traffic must be decided by them. A local authority cannot erect traffic lights unless the Garda, as the traffic authority, have sanctioned them. We find some of the best brains in the Garda force grappling with traffic problems while there are other problems in need of attention. If we had those three divisions it might help to streamline the whole force. The traffic corps might not at first be welcomed by motorists but eventually it would. At present when there is a march or a football match we see gardaí directing traffic while there are pickpockets, et cetera, having a great time because the gardaí have insufficient time to give to real crowd control.
The standards of our police force are as high as those of any in the world. We are fortunate that we have not had scandals such as we read about taking place very near here. However, we have no right to believe that the Garda force will go on being as good as they are in face of the increasing difficulty facing them unless we are prepared to vote taxation so that the Garda force may have all the equipment they need, proper transport, and scientific equipment.
We are facing, and we are glad of this, a growing population so our problems will become more like those of the urban areas of Europe as time goes on. At present we have a comparatively small population. Even in Dublin one knows a tremendous number of people. We still have a small city or village atmosphere. This is changing. Dublin is becoming a very consmopolitan city. People will come to live here who will not have the standards that we have been used to and they will find it difficult to accept some of our laws just as we would find it difficult to accept the laws of Germany, France, Belgium or other countries. Therefore, we have a growing population, our cities are becoming more cosmopolitan and crime is becoming more sophisticated. It would be impossible to fight crime just by doing away with the squad car and putting all the men back on the beat. We must take the best of the old system and what we need for the future. I would like to see more gardaí on foot patrol in the centre city areas. I know it is impossible for the gardaí to patrol in the suburbs. They have the problem of suburban vandalism to deal with. This is a problem too, for the schools and the parents. Vandals are mostly uneducated people, uneducated in the broad sense, not in regard to booklearning but in the general appreciation of the society in which they live. When they are guilty of acts of vandalism they must be punished but the schools and the parents must also help in this matter.
A previous speaker referred to the good work done by the gardaí in youth clubs. I know gardaí who give all their spare time to the running of youth clubs in this city. While the present generation may not reap the full benefit of that, future generations will because young people will be trained in civics and proper citizenship. When the gardaí have the trust of the people we will have a far better society.
I want to pay tribute to the gardaí for the work they have been doing in difficult circumstances. I am saddened to read in newspapers a report of Garda unrest. I am not suggesting that if there is unrest it should not be reported. I should like to see any complaints the gardaí have dealt with very quickly and effectively. I am sure the Minister would not brook any delay in dealing with their complaints. We know it is impossible to meet all the wishes of all sections of the people but the Garda Síochána are a most important section these days. I hope that the Minister's plan for the future will bring the force not just up to strength numerically but up to the strength to combat crime and assure that our democratic institutions will be protected against the very small minority who would destroy them. It is the duty of every citizen to support the gardaí because they are representing the citizens when they deal with lawbreakers. If they sometimes fail it is not always their fault. We must begin at the root of the problem by providing proper stations, the best of pay and general conditions. The man who joins the Garda force today must be dedicated. He would not join otherwise.
It has been said here that we should have a psychiatrist to examine each garda. This may be necessary to some extent, but I do not think it is a priority. There are sufficient young men who would make good gardaí if they got the best of training but, if aptitude tests are necessary, the vocational education committees in Dublin are already providing these so there is no great problem there. The greatest aptitude test a garda could have would be regarding his job as a vocation, instead of just a job, because he believes he has a part to play in our society and the part he chooses to play is that of a garda.
