In recent years the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has adopted a policy of not stationing gardaí in small villages or towns. When a long-serving garda retires in one of these areas he or she is seldom, if ever, replaced. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has received many similar representations from areas seeking a full time Garda presence — there are many such areas in Wicklow and north Carlow — but the request almost always falls on deaf ears. The reasons outlined for the policy are uniform, namely: the station is manned from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday; it is policed as part of the community policing initiative in operation in the district; the subdistrict is patrolled by the district patrol car; there is a direct communications link outside opening hours; there is no regulation to compel gardaí to reside in a particular town or village and the Garda authorities have informed the Minister that the level of coverage afforded to the area is adequate.
The Minister can hide behind those explanations because he can produce statistics to show the level of crime has dropped — I am sure the Minister's speech will reflect that. I do not know who is driving this policy. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform must be aware that in many rural areas people no longer take the trouble to report crime. They view it as a useless exercise, and a small group of petty criminals or vandals are permitted to hold communities up to ransom.
One of the strongest assets of the Garda has been the ability to gather intelligence, and many potential wrongdoers have been identified at an early stage and corrected in their ways. Unfortunately, because of the lack of a Garda presence, those people now remain unimpeded as they progress on the crime ladder. Several communities in Wicklow — for example, Dunlavin and Shillelagh — are crying out for a change in policy, but their cries remain unheard. Current policy must change and, in time, it will because some Minister will realise that, despite all the statistics the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform may produce, there is frustration in many communities with the current position, which must be redressed. That may take one year or five years, but it will be done.
Official Garda accommodation in many towns and villages lies idle and is falling into a state of disrepair. The Minister should consider a refurbishment programme and provide a special outpost allowance for gardaí to reside in those areas. I ask the Minister to consider present policy which contributes greatly to the erosion of the quality of rural life.
