I thank the Minister for coming into the House on this matter. I pay tribute to the Garda Síochána for its excellent work on our behalf, which it performs in difficult times and in circumstances where it is understaffed and lacks resources. I support the call by the Garda Representative Association for additional gardaí. There is a widespread public belief that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has little or no appreciation of the level of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in our towns and housing estates. The Minister is aware of the serious difficulties on our streets at night, and particularly at weekends, after discos and at fast food outlets in almost all our towns and cities.
Housing estates have additional difficulties caused, fortunately, by a small number of individuals, which impinge greatly on the local community. There is verbal abuse, stone and egg throwing, graffiti and breaking of windows and abuse of substances. Recently, I saw cases where every window in a house was broken. There was retaliation recently when men wearing balaclavas broke into a house with sledge hammers and caused damage. Garda cars are stoned. I dealt with 12 cases of families driven from housing estates in my constituency. Such families are traumatised and then discriminated against because they are not allowed to apply for local authority housing for another 12 months. We do not need vigilantism and people taking the law into their own hands.
Additional gardaí, especially on the beat, and designated under community Garda schemes, are needed to deal with the problems that occur in housing estates. In Clonmel Corporation, we established a committee to liaise with local gardaí and members of the health board to deal with this. Unfortunately, we have been unable to meet local Garda representatives. Specially dedicated community gardaí should be based in local areas to liaise with communities, parents and youngsters. They should build up co-operation with and respect for the Garda among local communities. The Minister should urgently look at such schemes for south Tipperary, particularly in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, Cashel and Fethard. I hope that the Minister will confirm that further Garda stations will not close.