I refer to the Minister's opening paragraph last night where he said he found it a little difficult to understand why the Deputy thought it necessary to put down his original motion. He also said that the facts of the matter are that crime is on the decrease and that whatever resources the Garda need to tackle it have been and will continue to be provided for them. That is not true. If the Minister is out of touch with what is happening throughout the country, particularly in Garda stations in Cork with which I am very familiar, I will bring him up to date very quickly.
Members of the House are by now no doubt well aware of the incompetence of the present Government when it comes to tackling the widespread problems of crime which we are experiencing in our society at present. People are sick and tired of the total lack of commitment by the present Minister and his predecessor to tackle the serious and violent crimes to which we are being subjected by gangs of violent thugs and bully boys who thumb their noses at the Garda and at society in general. We have been subjected to an unprecedented wave of armed robberies in the past few months. Yet what have this Government done? The clear and unequivocal answer given to me and to other Deputies by our constituents is absolutely nothing. The Government seem to be more concerned with their media image. This is particularly true of the Ministers for Justice present and past. We have only to look at the recent debacle on Spike Island to see just how true this is.
The prison on Spike Island was opened in a blaze of publicity. When it was destroyed by prisoners, the then Minister for Justice was quick to talk about proposals for a major redevelopment of the prison. Yet what happened? The answer is nothing. We had the sorry spectacle of the present Minister appearing at a news conference in Cork prison and being clearly embarrassed at having to admit that no proposals had ever been put to the Government for the redevelopment of Spike Island. This was considered by his predecessor, Deputy Noonan, as a priority. How can the public have any confidence in a Government who are unable or unwilling to implement plans which they consider are necessary and urgent?
We are living in a time of unprecedented crime levels. The pattern of crime has changed dramatically. We now see more violent crimes. Personal assaults, especially on the elderly, are now more commonplace. Action must be taken in a number of areas to combat and reverse the levels of crime, lawlessness and vandalism in our country today. A fundamental area which needs urgent attention, if we are serious about solving the present problems, is the provision of sufficient resources to the Garda Síochána to enable them to carry out their work effectively and efficiently. Those resources include not only equipment but also manpower. These resources must be made available immediately. The Garda must be provided with the most up-to-date equipment in transport and communications. The manpower must be increased.
To come back to my opening remarks about the position in Cork, we were delighted last year when just before the local elections two new Garda stations were opened after much agitation for many years. At the time I complimented the Government on opening those stations and recognising the need for them. Unfortunately, I have to be very critical tonight of the fact that those stations are half empty. I would like to ask the Minister: where are the personnel who were supposed to occupy those premises?
The geographical division of areas in Cork is absolutely crazy. I would like to refer to the Watercourse Road Garda station. This is a new area almost double the area which existed before the new stations were divided up. There has been no additional personnel provided. This week there has been a reduction in personnel in the station. They have taken in a big urban area of local authority and a big urban area of local authority and private housing, schools and banks, all of which need additional resources and additional personnel to ensure proper security and proper manning for the public. Unfortunately, there is a total absence of this. There has been a request for a Garda car for the station as a replacement for an old car but that request has not been answered. The Minister told us last night that any assistance the Garda need they have got and they will get in the future. That is a fallacy. I appeal to the Minister to give immediate assistance to the stations in Cork because of the nature of the changes that took place.
At the district headquarters in Gurranebraher, the personnel waited for three months for a car. In that station there is a superintendent, an inspector, four sergeants and almost 40 gardaí. There was only one car, a detective car, in operation there. When the gardaí in Ballincollig were not on duty the gardaí in Gurranebraher were expected to cover that area. While we welcome the new stations, the way in which they are divided up is crazy. It is not alone frustrating the public but also the gardaí. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the gardaí in that area, for their commitment and dedication in carrying out their duty under very difficult circumstances. I ask the Minister to be sincere in this matter. I am not trying to be political or to be critical. I want to speak on behalf of the people of Cork who are totally frustrated at the lack of protection and security from the Government. It is not good enough to come in here and say that the gardaí will get all the assistance they need when the realities of the situation are very clear. That assistance is not forthcoming. The facts and figures are there for the Minister.
The Minister also referred to the neighbourhood watch scheme. There are 170 schemes in operation involving 50,000 people. I presume the Minister is picking up the register and saying 5,000 people in a certain area are involved in the neighbourhood watch scheme. There are one or two schemes in Cork and there are others which we are anxious to get off the ground. If those schemes are set up, the resources of the gardaí are not there to back them up. It would be unfair to expect the public to be civic minded, to assist the gardaí and to report suspicious activities in their area and then find that the necessary back-up facilities are not available. Because of the shortage of manpower I cannot see those schemes operating successfully. If anything, they would be a disadvantage both to the community and to the gardaí.
It is more vital than ever before that the duties of the Garda are defined. I said in this House and in Cork that many of the duties of the Garda are unacceptable because of the demands on the force, because of the security situation and because of the very large numbers of gardaí who have been drafted to the Border. It is vital that every opportunity is taken to release gardaí from office duties and duties such as putting parking tickets on cars. On the one hand we are trying to improve relations with the gardaí in community meetings and by encouraging them to become more involved in the community but on the other hand they are putting parking tickets on our cars.
I ask the Minister to be sincere about this because we are all affected by the crime problem. The Garda have not the full support of the Government and if that is not forthcoming the honourable thing for the Minister and the Government to do is to resign and let a Fianna Fáil Government give the Garda the full support they need if they are to afford proper protection for the community, particularly the elderly who are intimidated and terrorised by thugs and bullies.
There has been talk about the west of Ireland, but there are many other parts of the country, including the urban areas of Cork and Dublin, in regard to which there has not been a positive response from the Minister. There should be more manpower available in Garda stations. For instance, it is a disgrace to any police force to be asked to inhabit the Watercourse Road Garda station in Cork. The gardaí are working out of a temporary building which has been classed as being a fire hazard. Would the Minister get on with the job of renovating the building next door to help the gardaí who are trying to do a very difficult job?