I wish to share time with Deputies Wallace, Murphy, O'Sullivan and Ross.
An Garda Síochána: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Niall Collins on Tuesday, 29 January 2013:
That Dáil Éireann:
- acknowledges the central role that An Garda Síochána has played in providing security to the State and people of Ireland since its foundation;
- recognises the vital need for a well-resourced, strong Garda force in tackling the evolving threat of criminality in Ireland;
- accepts the views of the Garda Commissioner that he would not like to see the strength of the force drop below 13,000 members;
- agrees that Garda stations play a pivotal role in the fabric of rural Ireland by upholding their central position in the life of the towns and villages they serve and their part in effective on-the-ground community policing;
- accepts with grave concern the disturbing rise in burglary levels across the country, particularly in commuter belt areas, and the impact this has had on the safety and security of the family home across the country;
- agrees that the increase in the disturbing number of illegal dissident actions in the past number of months and the growing threat of dissident terrorist activity is unacceptable;
- condemns the rise in gangland-related murders in 2012 and the ongoing threat of gangland violence across the country;
- strongly disagrees with the draconian closure of 140 Garda stations across the State, with over 100 stations due to close on 31 January 2013, particularly in vulnerable rural areas and in busy urban stations such as Stepaside and Kill O' the Grange in Dublin;
- fully opposes the covert reduction in Garda numbers to dangerously low levels through the whittling away of the Garda payroll, which jeopardises the force;
- vehemently disagrees with the Government’s failure to address the degradation of the Garda vehicle fleet, which has an integral part in tackling crime; and
- calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to:
- reopen Templemore to Garda recruitment to ensure the force does not fall to negligent strength; and
- reverse his attack on the physical infrastructure of rural Ireland and stop the impending closure of Garda stations across the country.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"acknowledges:
— the vital role of An Garda Síochána in providing security to the State and protection to the public; and
— the investment of €4 million in the Garda fleet in 2012 which provided for the purchase of a total of 213 vehicles and the additional allocation of a dedicated €5 million for the purchase of new Garda vehicles in 2013;
recognises:
— the importance of ensuring the continued capacity of An Garda Síochána to combat crime effectively and welcomes the Government’s commitment to maintain resources at the highest possible level;
— in particular, the value of the recent significant reforms in An Garda Síochána in making more efficient use of resources and delivering a more effective policing service; and
— the continued success of An Garda Síochána in tackling crime, reflected in the downward trend in most categories of crime;
supports, in particular, the measures being taken by An Garda Síochána to tackle organised and gangland crime, including extensive drug seizures and associated arrests, as well as ongoing operations to disrupt and prosecute criminal terrorists; welcomes the continued impact Operation Fiacla is having in tackling burglary around the country, with the arrest of 3,538 persons and 1,924 persons charged between April and December 2012; and resolves to continue to support An Garda Síochána in the prevention and detection of crime and the bringing of criminals to justice."
- (Minister for Justice and Equality).
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was tragically and savagely murdered outside Dundalk last Friday evening.
I am totally opposed to the Government amendment to this motion as it stands. The issue in this debate is confidence. It concerns the confidence the public can have in the role the Garda plays in our local communities. Tomorrow in County Donegal, five Garda stations will close permanently. These stations are in rural areas that will be left without a Garda presence and where we have experienced serious incidents over the past couple of months, where aggravated burglaries have taken place and elderly people have been attacked in their homes. While the Minister is very quick to point out that the stations being closed are ones in areas where there has been little crime activity, their closure reduces the confidence of the communities affected. These are communities that have seen services withdrawn across the board over the past number of years. Now they see gardaí being withdrawn from their communities.
We need to restore confidence to these people. We need them to feel comfortable in their homes and confident they will get a response if they require it from the Garda. In Donegal in the past year, we have the case of a garda having to hitch a lift to the scene of burglary because no Garda car was available. In another incident, a Garda car had to travel almost 50 miles in the middle of the night to respond to a serious arson incident outside somebody's house. Neither the Garda nor the public should have to put up with this kind of thing.
The Government amendment makes much of the fact that €4 million was invested in the Garda fleet last year, providing 213 vehicles. However, we should see that in a context where, since 2009, 580 vehicles were lost from the fleet . What the Minister should be doing is restoring confidence to the community that people will get the service they deserve.
I too would like to express my sympathy to the family of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. We all know being a member of the police force is not an easy job at a very difficult time for all of us.
We have been told that crime figures have been very low in some of the areas where closures will take place. However, perhaps we should take into account the fact that the reason crime rates were low is because stations were open in those areas. They may not remain so low when we close them. I have spoken to gardaí on the ground in Wexford and they have stated that the lack of a Garda presence offers comfort to those who might like to break the law. It also offers them more time to operate as gardaí are further away when needed to respond when a crime is detected. The closure of stations makes crime easier for them.
The main point being made by gardaí is that the visibility of the local garda in a village means a lot and gives comfort to a community. It is important also that local communities know and recognise their local garda. While patrols can be effective, if they have several villages to patrol, many people in the community never get to know these gardaí and have no awareness of the personalities involved or have no face to face contact with them. This is a huge problem.
We all recognise there has been an erosion of rural communities. Not only are they losing Garda stations, they have already lost pubs, shops and post offices. One must live in a small village to realise the importance of all these facilities. The loss of Garda stations is a huge blow to these communities.
This Garda policing plan was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on budget day and following that, cuts were made to the service and the money available. One of the goals of the plan is to ensure we have safe communities, but how can we have a plan that is a work of fiction and ensure we have safe communities?
The policing plan is supposed to be constructed annually and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The distribution of gardaí is supposed to be determined by the Garda management and should be based on population trends, crime trends and policing needs. Why then does a county like Kildare have only half the number of gardaí for its population compared to other parts of the country, although it has been demonstrated that it has increased rates of crimes such as burglaries and drug possession? I know of one estate where every second house has been burgled, although that estate is quite close to a station involved in policing that area. The station in question is Celbridge Garda station, which polices 30,000 people over a radius of 35 square kilometres. The only police car for that station was burnt out by vandals at Hallowe'en and was not replaced until the new year.
How is it possible to offer such communities a safe police service when this sort of thing happens? It cannot be done. Not only are our communities being put at risk, but gardaí themselves are being put at risk because there is no back-up for them.
My sympathy and the sympathy of the country is with the loved ones of Detective Garda Donohoe. I am also conscious that other members of the Defence Forces have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their duty. I am aware too that attacks are still being made on members of the Garda Síochána.
Speaking yesterday, the Tánaiste made a point about the nation's gratitude for the continued support of the Garda. The Minister for Justice and Equality himself said that we stand with An Garda Síochána at this very difficult time. I believe the obvious way to show our gratitude and stand with gardaí is to ensure they have adequate resources and enough personnel to do their work well. At the least, the numbers should not be allowed fall below the 13,000 recommended by the Garda Commissioner to do that work.
I wish to look back 15 years to the situation in Dublin's inner city and the fractured relationship that existed then between the communities and the Garda. There was no trust and the only communication was very negative. However, an excellent initiative was drawn up over 13 years ago to address that and build relations between gardaí, the local authority and the communities. This was the Community Policing Forum, which has a full-time co-ordinator and two other staff. This initiative has been very successful in building trust and relations with the Garda through the community police and there is active engagement between gardaí and people living in those inner city communities, who know too well the effects of gangland crime and the scourge of drugs.
Local people felt neglected by the authorities for a long time, but now through the co-ordinator they are comfortable sitting with gardaí. Trust has been built up and the gardaí talk with and work through issues with them. We have seen successes, whether with regard to drug seizures or the head shop issue. The Community Policing Forum in Dublin is unique. It has made presentations in other parts of Ireland, in Northern Ireland and at the Council of Europe. It is an example of best practice in collaborative work between the agencies to address the issues. It should be rolled out in other parts of the country.
I join my colleagues in expressing my sympathy to the family of Adrian Donohoe following his tragic death. The morale of the Garda Síochána was at a very low ebb before this happened because of the cutbacks in Garda numbers and because of the announcement that more than 100 Garda stations were to close. The low level of morale among gardaí is unrelated to the tragedy I have mentioned.
Like the members of the force, I cannot understand the reasons for these decisions. The Minister will be familiar with the situation in Stepaside, for example. Given that the Garda Síochána and the people are against these closures, and in light of the Government's acceptance that there is no cost reason for these closures, one has to wonder why this policy is being pursued. It is an example of the sort of patronising attitude one gets from Governments. When they do something the people do not want, they tell them it is good for them. The Garda and the people do not want these closures, but the Government wants them.
For some reason, this approach is being dictated by a greater outside power, which is apparently built on some sort of belief in what is called "smart policing". A former assistant commissioner, Martin Donnellan, recently asked what in the name of God smart policing is. He does not understand it. Like the people of Stepaside, whom he supports, he believes in a thing called community policing. Smart policing and community policing are virtually incompatible. Smart policing is retroactive policing. It involves gardaí speeding into an area in their fast cars after a crime has been committed to do something about it. Community policing is about intelligence and prevention.
I appeal to the Minister to think again, particularly in the case of Stepaside. I ask him to cancel the closures he has planned and announced and which are going ahead. The people do not want them and gardaí do not want them. The only people who want these closures are the Minister and the burglars.
Hear, hear.
Deputy Ross obviously knows better than the Garda Commissioner.
No, this is not what the Garda Commissioner has said privately. We will all be in Stepaside on Sunday. The north siders are coming over.
I begin by extending my deepest sympathy to the Donohoe family. It is a sad night for this country, for the Donohoe family and for the extended families. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this motion. Before the last local elections, the then Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government established joint policing committees to give Members of the Oireachtas, local councillors, community representatives and senior Garda officers an opportunity to meet to discuss the main local policing issues. The closure of local Garda stations is a hot topic at these forums at present. At these meetings, it is interesting to hear senior gardaí explain why this is happening across many parts of Ireland. Opposition parties see this as a great opportunity, especially as the next local elections are less than 70 weeks away. Their candidates will be groomed to articulate the fears of local communities.
The Deputy's party would know all about that.
Senior gardaí have argued at joint policing committee meetings that rather than being a cost-saving measure, this approach is an attempt to reform how the State is policed. Ireland is changing. Is it the same place it was 20 years ago, when all of the Garda stations that are now being proposed for closure were open? Of course it is not. The advance of communications technology over the last 20 years must prompt a review and a change in many circumstances. Garda management must act on and embrace this requirement. I accept that we could do with additional gardaí. After ten years of economic mismanagement by Fianna Fáil, we cannot afford to employ more gardaí, teachers or front-line public servants.
It seems we can have more advisers, however.
We must ensure the gardaí we have are organised better. Like many public servants, gardaí are prepared to do more for less. That is what their employer is asking them to do, in line with the Croke Park process, until we have recovered economically, to the point at which Garda recruitment can recommence. As a result of these measures, gardaí will be freed up for front-line operational duties. New modern patrol cars will be rolled out this month to ensure there is a maximum Garda presence in rural areas. Individual gardaí will attach themselves to local areas that may be a few miles from the stations where they are based. I understand that Operation Doras has been rolled out in north Leitrim as a pilot project. It involves individual Garda personnel visiting elderly people who live in rural areas to give them advice on their personal security and literature on combating crime that may affect them.
That has been happening for 30 years.
I hope this pilot scheme is extended to other areas. With fewer stations needing to be manned, I do not see why this is not possible. I urge the Garda Commissioner and the Minister to ensure the force brings the public on board. I want gardaí to form relationships with community forum groups so there is an active community alert group in each local community. Such community alert groups should be responsible for liaising with local gardaí, discussing specific patrol routes and identifying people who are vulnerable and at risk. If gardaí and communities work together and in partnership, they will protect citizens who may be possible targets.
I commend the great work that the Garda carries out every day to ensure the safety of the public. I am familiar with the commitment of the gardaí in my constituency of Wicklow in tackling crime and protecting communities. This House knows full well that this level of commitment is not without its own costs. The aim of this Private Members' debate is to allow us to address concerns about policing plans, but it would be remiss of me not to mention Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. I express my admiration for Detective Garda Donohoe and his partner, Detective Garda Joe Ryan. They stood by the State and did their duty. Adrian Donohoe paid the ultimate price. I signed a book of condolence in the Garda station in my home town of Bray. My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. I fervently hope that those who committed this crime are swiftly brought to justice.
I am obliged to make a number of points in response to the Private Members' motion before the House. I am very disappointed at the sheer hypocrisy and cynicism of the Opposition in tabling this motion. In an effort to score political points, the Deputies opposite have raised issues that have the capacity, if left unchallenged, to scare people. Their approach on this issue is foolhardy and wrong. This should come as no surprise to anyone, given that they applied the same foolhardy approach when they ran the country into the ground. The very idea that Fianna Fáil, which is the party of economic ineptitude, can sit across the Chamber and criticise measures that will modernise our police force is a laughable one.
The Minister is trying to modernise our police force under difficult circumstances. The State's network of Garda stations has remained almost unchanged since its foundation. I know the Minister has already outlined the figures in relation to the changes he is proposing. It is worth highlighting some of them again. Some 98% of the stations that are to be closed are part-time stations. Some 94% of them are open for three hours a day or less. Some 88% of them are served by just one garda. When these reforms are implemented, there will be 564 stations in operation throughout the country. This is very high by comparison with other countries.
It is important to note that headline crime figures have fallen in 12 of the 14 crime groups. It is also important to allay people's fears. If I talk in statistics and comparisons, the weight of the argument in favour of reform could get lost. It must be said clearly that communities have nothing to fear. They will continue to be served by an effective police force that will protect and ensure their safety. As a result of these measures, more gardaí will be freed up for front-line duties. The Garda Commissioner has stated that these changes will enable the force to deliver optimal policing services to our communities. Two stations in County Wicklow, in Donard and Hollywood, are to be closed. Given that a 24-hour policing service will be provided to those communities from Blessington seven days a week, there is nothing to fear.
This motion amounts to opposition for opposition's sake. Fianna Fáil has introduced this motion in an attempt to engender fear among the public and build distrust of this Government. The idea of Fianna Fáil ever being in government again is even more horrifying than what it is attempting to do in the context of this debate.
I want to be associated with the messages of sympathy that have been sent to the Donohoe family. The sad and tragic events of recent days have reminded everyone of the important and dangerous tasks that gardaí carry out to protect citizens throughout this country. I suppose this motion is about ensuring communities are protected and policing is administered in as efficient a way as possible. That is what is at stake here. It is obvious that communities see the local Garda station as a visible presence and as a point of contact.
Following the recent announcements, six Garda stations in Mayo - those at Blacksod, Ballycastle, Ballyglass, Ballyvary, Hollymount and Lahardane - are to close this weekend. I met a deputation from Ballycastle in the last week who request either a deferral or a reversal of the decision, based on the fact it is a rural community and that €52,000 was spent on the Garda station only a couple of years ago. The Garda authorities, on the other hand, say there will be increased visibility and increased patrolling in the Ballycastle area as a result of the policing programme that will be put in place. What needs to happen, if closures go ahead, is that the public, in particular the elderly, would become very quickly aware there is a point of contact for them, there is a plan that works and that this will be changed and reviewed if necessary.
The Minister mentioned there would be points of contact or clinics for people in rural areas. I seek clarification in this regard given the Garda authorities seem to be suggesting this will not necessarily happen. I want to know whether it will happen or not because it might solve some of the issues.
We are all aware that recruitment to the Garda Reserve finished in 2009, so it is not this Government that stopped it. Is there a possibility of the expansion of the role of the Garda Reserve to enhance some of the policing?
The Minister said the Garda Síochána had recently acquired a number of vehicles which are being converted into mobile Garda offices. Will these be available throughout the country and will one be available for Mayo? There is a gap between what communities want and perceive and what gardaí say they are providing. There needs to be a meeting of minds on this because, at present, many communities are against the Garda stations closing.
In the time available, I would like to pay my respects to Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was laid to rest today. I would also like to express my deep condolences to his family, his colleagues and his friends. Many other gardaí have been killed in similar circumstances. For a number of reasons I particularly recall the killing of Garda Michael Reynolds in 1976. First, he was shot dead in St. Anne's Park in Raheny, close to where I live, and, second, both of us went to the same secondary school in Ballinasloe at the same time, and I was acquainted with him. When someone you know is killed brutally in the line of duty, it brings home to you how that killing must impact on the family, close friends and colleagues of that policeman, and the many other policemen on both sides of the Border who have been killed since the Troubles began. I have no doubt that those responsible for the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe will be brought to justice.
I feel now is not the most appropriate time to discuss the politics of policing, given it is a very sensitive time both for gardaí and the family of Detective Garda Donohoe. I believe that reductions in Garda expenditure are not the cause of the murder of Detective Garda Donohoe. Given the events of the past several days, I believe this debate should have been delayed until a more appropriate time. However, as it is going ahead, I would like to comment briefly.
It should be noted that the justice sector secured €2.243 billion in 2012 and €2.2 billion for 2013, which was over the amounts which Fianna Fáil would have allocated. It is also worth noting that, despite the cuts in last year's budget, €4 million was made available to purchase 213 new Garda vehicles and dedicated funding of €5 million has also been made for this purpose in 2013. These figures speak for themselves. I am also very pleased that the new Garda divisional headquarters for Kevin Street in Dublin was included with two other Garda divisional headquarters in the special Government stimulus package announced last July. The provision of these facilities will significantly enhance Garda capacity to carry out their functions more effectively.
In terms of the closure of some Garda stations, let us reflect on the reality of the Garda station network up until these closures. The network was essentially the same Royal Irish Constabulary barracks network which was left in 1922. Such a large-scale static deployment of resources is no longer appropriate in the present day, where the transport and communications infrastructure has been transformed beyond recognition. The Garda Síochána has a class-leading police computer system, a state-of-the-art digital radio system and a transport fleet which is currently receiving significant investment. The new Garda roster currently being piloted provides a better match between Garda availability and policing demand.
We also need to be honest about the level of policing service that was capable of being provided from the stations that were and are to be closed. Of the 100 stations to be closed in 2013, 98% are open part-time, 94% are open for three hours a day or less and 88% are served by one garda only. I believe everything possible has been done to maintain the resources available to the Garda Síochána at the highest possible level.
Like all other speakers, I would like to express my sincere condolences upon the death of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe to his wife, his children, his family and the members of the force. This cuts very close to the bone for them. I would like to thank the Garda very much for maintaining law and order, which is the cornerstone of democracy and of all the freedoms we enjoy in this country today.
Those in Fianna Fáil have a brass neck - it is their brass-neck style that has not gone away - when they bring a motion before us to decry cuts in Garda resources and with their big talk about the need to reverse these cuts. This audacity is stomach-churning from a party that ran our economy into the ground. That we are still with the troika, including the IMF, is unbelievable. Fianna Fáil's own plan, the national recovery plan 2012-14, which would be current for this point in time, would see on average €90 million less in the budget for justice each year, yet Fianna Fáil is telling us what to do with resources. If the Minister had not secured moneys through savings within his Department, we would have had no new Garda vehicles on the road last year or this year. It is hard to take a motion like this.
The Minister has outlined extensively the extent to which changes, rationalisation and the different methods being employed to police our country have come about. All of this has only happened by virtue of reviews undertaken by the Garda Commissioner in conjunction with Garda management in the different divisions the length and breadth of the country. Therefore, the choices that have been made are informed choices. Indeed, for my part, having particular knowledge of the operation of gardaí in my county, in my town of Ballina in particular, and through working closely with them on the joint policing committee, I can only say I have absolute admiration for and confidence in the professionalism of gardaí and the way they go about solving crime. The more I attend committee meetings and the more we look at issues, whether it is anti-social behaviour or more serious crime, the more I become proud of the members of the force who are working on the ground.
We know the incidence of many classes of crime has reduced, for example, assault, public order offences, drugs offences and sexual offences, all of which should give us confidence. However, we know there is great fear, and that the great headline grabber, rightly so, is burglary and the thugs carrying out burglaries. We know of the successes in Operation Fiacla and, to return to my own area, I am very impressed by the methods local gardaí are employing in catching the individuals involved. "Thugs" is the only word for those individuals, given the fear they have struck in people.
One of the biggest concerns is the closure of 95 Garda stations tomorrow, six of them in my county - at Lahardane, Blacksod, Ballycastle, Ballyglass, Ballyvary and Hollymount. I respect the fact the Garda Commissioner has reviewed this and that the Minister has given his seal of approval to it following the review period. However, I must point out that every area is different and, even in my county where six stations are to close, some are definitely a cause of more concern than others. There should be provision for a review or some engagement with the Garda Commissioner to revisit certain cases.
For example, Ballycastle is 27 km from the next 24-hour Garda station along bad roads in a remote coastal area.
No matter what we say or how much confidence we can have in the new procedures we must acknowledge that the blue light shining over a Garda station gives people, especially those in rural areas a sense of safety and confidence. It is our job to impress upon them that whatever alternatives come forward people are safe and are being considered and that this is not just a case of cuts for the sake of cuts.
This engagement needs to come from Garda management in each division, at a public meeting where people can be told about the alternative arrangements which are adequate for community policing, such as the text alert system and CCTV in these villages reporting back to a main Garda station and the adequate provision of Garda costs.
I too offer sympathy on the death of Adrian Donohoe who was a brave and courageous garda. Like many other gardaí he stood for law and order.
Tomorrow will be a sad day for me as the Garda station in Kill will close tomorrow morning. I have been asked to attend there with the sergeant to watch the building close. The building may close but the gardaí are not going away. The two gardaí stationed there will move into Naas. Pat Murphy, the garda in the area will do what he has been doing for the past few years, going out around the community, meeting people and getting information. I was sorry I could not meet Deputy Niall Collins last Tuesday when he arrived in Kill and addressed a few people in the local pub. I wonder if he told them the truth, that under his party's proposed national development plan spending would have been reduced by €90 million per annum or about the gardaí numbers that would have resulted from those cuts, or about the structures that his party left behind. We have to pick up the pieces and make courageous decisions about policing.
I congratulate the gardaí in my area who a couple of weeks ago made a large drugs haul worth between €3 million and €5 million. Last Monday night they discovered a grow house in the Naas area, through local information. It is most important that the gardaí are on the ground, even if their building is no longer there, getting information from the community. I and my colleagues in Kildare will work hard to ensure that Garda numbers are increased in the county because in the previous 14 years, when Fianna Fáil was in power the numbers were reduced. We will also work to ensure a continuous Garda presence in the community. We will meet the Commissioner and the Chief Superintendent in Kildare regularly to ensure that there are continued community Garda patrols in my area. The Minister has a very difficult task in picking up the pieces left by the previous Government. Fianna Fáil has some gall to bring this motion forward.
Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was buried today. Last week none of us knew him but today we know his name, his commitment to his community and his exemplary sense of duty in his job. He was the type of person that this country needs. I send my deepest sympathy to his wife, his family and his colleagues in the Garda Síochána. His shocking death reminds us of the huge debt our society owes to An Garda Síochána and I acknowledge the central role it has played in providing security to the Irish people since the foundation of the State. Garda Donohoe died protecting his local community in the form of the credit union which is a core part of so many communities.
Community policing remains a central part of policing planning and the programme for Government recognises the desire that a higher priority be attached to community policing. Local knowledge is a vital component of successful policing. Older people in particular are comforted by the notion that a friendly garda is readily available. In cities foot patrols are highly effective in minimising crime. According to the Commissioner, the current reforms free members of the force from desk-bound jobs and will increase Garda visibility and patrol hours. Nobody here questions the vital need for a well-resourced, strong Garda force in tackling the evolving threat of criminality in Ireland. The Garda Síochána is undergoing the most ambitious restructuring of policing services since the foundation of our State. It is important, however, to stress that these changes are not aimed at saving money but at improving our policing services. New disciplinary structures have been put in place along with a Garda Inspectorate and a Garda Ombudsman Commission. Changing the administrative and physical lay-out of the organisation was an obvious next step. Already this year 38 Garda stations have closed. The sky has not fallen in and crime levels have remained subdued. Recent figures have shown a decrease in headline crimes. The number of burglaries has risen but those burglaries have been concentrated in densely populated areas that are unlikely to be affected by the proposed restructuring.
Modernisation should be welcomed. The number of police stations has remained practically unaltered since the days of the RIC. Through the decades successive Governments allowed buildings and services to deteriorate. As a result almost 300 stations now lack basic communication facilities, have neither fax nor broadband and need extensive refurbishment. Rather than kick this can further down the road, as previous Governments have done, this Government has opted for radical re-structuring. In a report to the last Government Colm McCarthy and his expert group recommended the closure of 350 Garda stations in response to the economic crisis. As with so many other crucial issues the previous Government did nothing. This Government is driving the reform agenda. Our gardaí do an invaluable job. As last week's tragic events have shown there is a bond of respect and trust in the community that will, please God, ultimately secure the evil men or women who cut short a brave young man's life.
I too offer my condolences to the Donohoe family and to Adrian Donohoe's Garda colleagues on this tragic occurrence and on this very sad day. Maybe because of the day that is in it we need to have an honest conversation. We need to be honest about the fact that we have a rural policing challenge and the opening of this debate made a disingenuous offer in calling on the Minister to reopen Garda stations, some of which are open for only three hours a day. Some Garda stations in my constituency have been closed, for example, Churchill and Culdaff, which closed last year. Culdaff had been closed for several years. We need to have an honest conversation about the status of the Garda stations. Will reversing this decision reverse the rural challenge? I do not think so.
We need to examine what is happening in the urban areas. In 1997 and 1998 there was a very good urban policing model which deployed community gardaí into areas suffering high unemployment and urban crime. The gardaí built up relationships in the community. They were visible and engaged. They used Garda bicycles and worked in urban areas. There have been examples of very successful Garda patrolling as Deputy Regina Doherty said, in big towns and cities. How do we deal with the need for visibility and engagement in rural areas? We must consider stations such as Churchill where there is a single identifiable garda whom people can contact, whom they know is at the other end of the telephone. We need to have one or two gardaí in that area because the only way to build up trust in the community is by gardaí knowing their communities. A garda is no different from Members on this or the other side of the House. If we do not know what people need we do not have a job in here. Similarly, the gardaí need to know the people in order to gather intelligence and they need to be with people. That is the challenge.
The Minister also needs to examine the structure for dealing with cross-Border crime. There is a cross-Border strategy but we need effective policing there. I have made a few proposals through parliamentary questions this week and I ask him to look at some of the suggestions put forward for members of the gardaí.
I too offer my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe who died so tragically last Friday. His death struck a chord with many people because he was doing what so many gardaí do every day.
It is something with which we can all associate. I know some of the local gardaí in my area very well and know the role they play. This made me think of them, the sacrifices they make and the risk they take in doing their job.
In regard to those same gardaí and their local stations, it was with regret that I found out before Christmas that I would lose two Garda stations in my constituency, in Ballymore Eustace and Ballitore. The Minister will be aware that when the rumours first sounded I was concerned about losing any stations and believed this was not the right thing to do. My main concern was community policing because I believe the local garda has a local knowledge that is built up and there is an area of crime prevention that is very hard to quantify. Trust in a local garda accumulates. Given the closure of these Garda stations, in working closely with the chief superintendent and Garda authorities locally I have since realised that great efforts have been made to ensure that Garda cover for these areas will remain the same. I am very happy these efforts have been made. Gardaí have shown themselves to be very resourceful in the way they are doing this.
I welcome the six new cars for the Kildare division, in particular the one going to Kilcullen which will help gardaí there to cover the Ballymore Eustace area and will also have an impact on the Ballitore area. There is also the significant amount of some €600,000 which was spent on Castlewarden station recently by the OPW, one of the last Garda stations to have substantial work done.
This motion of Fianna Fáil is disingenuous. That party agreed with the troika to drop Garda numbers from 14,500 to 13,000, but never made any provision to lose any of the Garda stations. It is not practical to think we could hold on to the number we had, the same number we inherited from the British state. To be honest, if we were starting with a blank canvas we would not have anything near that number of Garda stations, given the comparisons with Northern Ireland and Scotland which, respectively, have one station per 17,000 and one per 15,000 people. Here, after the cuts and the closures to which we refer, there will be one Garda station for every 8,000 citizens.
The Minister, Deputy Shatter, is aware of the points colleagues and I have made in the past. Garda numbers in County Kildare are very low in comparison with those in other counties; they are too low. There is no chief superintendent in the country who is willing to give up gardaí but pressure must come from the Commissioner. There must be some redistribution of Garda numbers and they are badly needed in County Kildare. I ask that this be considered.
I call Deputy Ó Fearghaíl.
I wish to share time-----
I apologise for interrupting Deputy Ó Fearghaíl on a point of order. I just noticed on the list of speakers I received, which is not the Fianna Fáil list, that Deputy Luke "Ming" Flanagan was to speak tonight. Considering the disgraceful remarks he made about An Garda Síochána last night, I am surprised he has not appeared in the House. I do not know whether the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has any information.
I have no such information.
The Technical Group had no time.
We are very short of time.
We did not have enough time to ensure-----
It is not a point of order.
Perhaps the speakers can be given credit for this short period.
It was taken up by the Minister. I am sharing time with Deputies Dara Calleary, Éamon Ó Cuív, John McGuinness and Barry Cowen.
Deputy Mattie McGrath, too.
Yes, Deputy Mattie McGrath. In common with all Members of the House I express my sympathy to those close to Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, particularly his wife Caroline, his children Amy and Niall, and his colleagues and friends in County Louth and the Cooley Peninsula. Today reminds us all of the danger faced each day by the members of the force in their line of duty. In his remarkable sermon today, Fr. Michael Cusack noted:
It is the only profession where we ask people to dance a dance with Satan ... to come face to face with evil. To play games with people of evil intent, people who are prepared to entrap, people who withhold information, people who prolong suffering, people who are not capable of being called human beings because of the way they have treated their brothers and sisters.
In supporting the motion moved by my colleague, Deputy Niall Collins, calling for resources and support for An Garda Síochána and for recognition by the Minister, Deputy Shatter, of the importance of a Garda presence in rural communities, I do as my colleagues have done, fulfilling the responsibility we have as an Opposition party to reflect the views of people throughout this country.
Given the very limited time available to me I simply wish to report to the House some details of what transpired at a public meeting in the small Kildare village of Ballymore Eustace last Monday. I am glad Deputies Lawlor and Heydon are present because they can attest to the veracity of the report. Ballymore Eustace is one of three villages in County Kildare that will lose Garda stations, the others being Ballitore and Kill. The meeting was called by the local development association. The packed village hall contained representatives of all strands of the local community, with elderly people turning out in force. The community leaders at the top table were joined by a Garda superintendent and the young garda who is to be transferred to Kilcullen. Public representatives, both party political and independent, were out in force. Early speakers spoke with passion of their opposition to the closure of the stations and their feelings of vulnerability in the aftermath of the closure. They sharply criticised the Minister, Deputy Shatter, for his lack of engagement with communities affected by closure and his further failure to respond meaningfully to people who had written directly to him expressing their concerns on the matter.
The meeting was strongly of the view that people in the community would have to come together to protect themselves. Much discussion was had on the organisation of a super community alert system. In an example of the best approach in public service, the superintendent promised that in spite of scare resources, the area would continue to be policed by the relocating garda from his new base. He would carry a briefcase with necessary documentation and would conduct a regular clinic in the village, if a venue could be sourced. Obviously this will not be the closed Garda station. The relocating garda, who had obviously won the respect and confidence of the people of Ballymore Eustace, assured people they would not be abandoned, regretted the station closure and gave his personal mobile telephone number to those in attendance. Everybody present accepted these commitments, made in obvious good faith, but also recognised that personnel in the public service move on and there can be no certainty their successors will continue to act accordingly. Others accepted that with Garda resources continuing to decline, it might not be possible to honour the commitments in the long term. The mood of the meeting was one of stunned acceptance. Such were people's concerns that all public representatives, when they spoke, sought to allay the palpable fear of those present, not least of those senior citizens who attended.
In the general election of 2007, 31% of the people of Ballymore Eustace voted for the candidates from the current Government parties. In 2011, in huge numbers, they voted for change when more than double that percentage, some 68%, came out to vote for Fine Gael and the Labour Party. All these people who placed their confidence in the leadership of the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, continue to be disappointed by the broken promises and lack of delivery. However, the actions of the Minister, Deputy Shatter, in Ballymore Eustace, Ballitore and Kill, and in the other 137 communities where Garda stations have closed or will close, are seen to be an act of serious betrayal. It is a shame. I would have expected more of the Minister. I commend the motion to the House.
I thank our colleague, Deputy Niall Collins, for giving us the opportunity to discuss this issue. I join all my colleagues in sympathising with the family and colleagues of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe on their unspeakable loss last Friday. This was not only an attack on a garda or a community but was an attack on every one of us. I come from a county where a fair share of gardaí have lost their lives in the service to the State. I think tonight of John Morley, Henry Byrne, Michael Padden and Robbie McCallion, who all died in the service of the State, giving up their lives.
The Minister will know my feelings. When any garda dies in the service of the State the person who causes that death should be given the full mandatory sentence of 40 years, regardless of the circumstances because such people go out to cause these deaths. I put forward legislation on that matter. It was probably unintentional but a feeling was expressed in the media that gardaí who are shot should be treated better in remembrance than those who died in service, whose names were not mentioned. I refer to Robbie McCallion who lost his life in the service of the people of Donegal. His family equally deserves having the full rigours of the law applied to those who caused his death.
The outpouring of grief throughout the country in the days since Detective Garda Donohoe's death shows the respect which people have for gardaí. As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl stated, we expect members of the force to dance with evil every night on our behalf and to protect us from that evil. The idea of community is at the heart of the Garda's mandate. It is also at the heart of people's respect for the force. The decision to close so many Garda stations with indecent haste from tomorrow will undermine that community mandate. We have in place joint policing committees which are very effective and successful and which have afforded people a good opportunity to participate. However, the reorganisation to which the Minister referred and which many of his colleagues have welcomed should have been aired at the joint policing committees before the decision to close particular stations was taken.
I accept that there are Garda stations which are obsolete. However, there are many on the Minister's list which are fully functional and which have a role to play. Deputy Mulherin and, I presume, Deputy O'Mahony - whose contribution I did not hear - have already referred to the case of Ballycastle. The Minister will be aware of how isolated is Ballycastle and of how far away is the next nearest station. Ballycastle is home to the Céide Fields centre, which attracts 25,000 visitors each year, and to some of the most stunning sea cliffs on our coast. The latter attract divers, tourists and, unfortunately, other types of individuals. As a result, a Garda presence is required.
We are not concerned here with bricks and mortar. There is a complete misunderstanding at ministerial, departmental and medial level in this regard. We are not talking here about gardaí behind desks, we are referring to their being embedded in communities. One cannot measure what would be the impact of a crime which is stopped before it happens. Nor can one say what would have happened to someone who was becoming wayward but who was put on the right track. Such crimes and individuals never feature in statistics. People who live in communities such as Ballycastle and elsewhere are frustrated because they have invested time in stopping crimes before they were committed. As a result of the fact that the crime figures relating to these places are low, they are paying the price by losing their Garda stations. In the future, the gardaí who serve these towns and villages will operate out of their briefcases and will be obliged to hope that someone might provide them with a room out of which they might operate and provide services.
There is no doubt about the individual commitment of the gardaí involved. These officers will continue to do their jobs. However, as Deputy Ó Fearghaíl stated, people move on. The commitment which is based on having a relatively substantial presence in place will be broken. There is a lack of information and engagement in respect of how it is proposed to proceed in respect of this matter.
I was frustrated by Deputy Regina Doherty's remarks to the effect that crime levels have been subdued since the closure of a number of stations last year. I can bring the Deputy on a visit to County Mayo. Deputy Mulherin will attest to the number of break-ins which have occurred there in recent months. I accept that Operation Fiacla has made an impact but it did nothing to prevent the crimes to which I refer. One of the issues which arises in respect of those break-ins relates to the number that were carried out by people with previous convictions, by those who are out on bail or by individuals who served time in the past. When those to whom I refer get out of prison, the crime figures begin to rise again. It is clear that there are legislative as well as resource issues to be reviewed. It should not be the case that people who are out on bail or who have served sentences and been released from prison just return to their activities and carry on with business as normal. These individuals do not seem to have learned their lesson. This is a matter which we are going to be obliged to examine.
Deputy Regina Doherty - who was obviously the best girl in class and was chosen to read the press office's script - stated that Colm McCarthy recommended that the previous Government should close 300 Garda stations. We did not do that. The Deputy also referred to a lack of capital investment. Ballycastle Garda station was the subject of substantial capital investment. Loughglynn Garda station was closed last year. As its closure was being announced by the Minister, a new roof was being installed. That is the difficulty. The management of stations is the responsibility of the OPW, while it is gardaí who occupy them. There is a lack of communication in respect of this matter. There has been capital investment in the stations that are being closed. It must be remembered that the Minister is not only closing buildings but also damaging the link between communities and their gardaí. In the absence of information as to how the existing relationship will be maintained, a vacuum will be created and that will not be good.
I, too, want to be associated with the words of sympathy expressed in respect of the death of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. If we can do anything to honour his memory, then we must listen to the people.
Everyone is aware that there is a thin blue line which separates society from anarchy. That line has been shattered as a result of what happened in recent days. I ask the Minister to remove the disconnect which exists and to stop tweaking the Garda Síochána. There is a complete lack of communication and a disconnect with regard to what is happening on the ground and what the Minister has indicated - I do not disbelieve him in this regard - the Garda Commissioner is telling him. I question what we are being told. I am aware of a number of ordinary gardaí who are no longer allowed input information into the PULSE computer system. This work must now be done by sergeants. The figures are being massaged in order that the criminals will not become aware of how bad things are at present.
I salute gardaí in my county and elsewhere who have given their personal telephone numbers to citizens. That is a sign of trust. In a reply to a parliamentary question I tabled last week, the Minister indicated that it costs €4,000 to maintain a rural Garda station. It is not the money which is at issue. That same amount was stolen on Friday night last from the credit union in Louth where Detective Garda Donohoe lost his life. I take this opportunity to salute credit union staff. What is important is the presence of a garda and the confidence to which his presence gives rise. The Minister referred to mobile patrols. Many gardaí no longer have access to patrol cars. In the county in which I live, they are hiring cars which do not have sirens, flashing lights or radios. Gardaí can only use their official mobile phones to contact their stations. Morale is at an all-time low.
The town in which I live, Clonmel, has the lowest number of gardaí per head of population in County Tipperary. A balance must be struck in this regard. We must support An Garda Síochána. We must also banish the word "informer" from use. I have been a member of a community alert group since 1986 and I am on the board of Muintir na Tíre which runs it. I salute the community alert groups and I do not believe we should be establishing pilot projects to establish new groups. The model has been in existence for more than 25 years and the Minister should allow it to continue to be used in areas where it is working. If it is not broken, do not fix it. Gardaí who have the confidence of their communities should be allowed to do the job they want to do and are doing.
The Minister should talk to gardaí rather than engaging in megaphone diplomacy with the Garda Representative Association. He should listen to the concerns of ordinary officers and bring them along with him. Gardaí need our support now more than ever. I plead with the Minister and his colleagues in government - who made certain promises prior to the most recent general election - to support the Garda in order that people might sleep easy in their beds at night. They cannot do so at present. I accept that there is waste in many areas but this is not the way to deal with it.
I also wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to the family of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, particularly his wife, Caroline, his daughter, Amy, his son, Niall, his parents and all the people in the community in which he lived who, by all accounts, have lost an outstanding person.
As a garda living in the community, Adrian Donohoe epitomised that to which those in rural Ireland have become used. The reality is that this matter does not relate to Garda stations. Rather, it relates to community gardaí and a plan which seems to have been lifted from a manual written in some other country and which appears to be designed to change the very nature of rural policing. As I understand it, the Minister will continue to close Garda stations until what we will be left with will be mobile patrols from district headquarters. Different officers will carry out those patrols each day and none of them will actually be resident in the communities in which they will be operating. In addition, they will not be in a position to tap into the intelligence that is available to local gardaí who operate within their own communities.
Any communities which are fortunate enough to have gardaí living within them have very low levels of crime. They are also subject to extremely low levels of juvenile delinquency because, in most cases, a local garda will hear about such behaviour and will deal with it before it results in the commission of a significant crime or in the young person involved ending up before the courts. Preventative policing is a great deal better than trying to deal with the damage after it has happened through detective work and curative policing.
I wish to inform the Minister how the Garda is operating under his remit. The Maam Garda district is the largest such district in the entire country. There is a Garda barracks there and we have a very good and diligent local garda. When he needs a car, he is obliged to request one from Clifden, which is 30 miles away, or Rosmuc, which is 15 miles away. If the car in Rosmuc is out on patrol, he is obliged to remain in the barracks until it becomes available. In the part of the country in which I live, it could be a long time before it arrives.
It would be even longer if the Deputy's party had remained in government. The previous Administration did not provide any money for Garda cars.
We provided cars. There was no problem in that regard.
No, the previous Government's programme for 2012 and 2013 contained no funding in respect of cars.
Time is limited. The Minister should not interrupt.
The Deputy should read my speech.
When we were in government-----
The Minister's speech politicised it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He is a hypocrite.
(Interruptions).
Deputy Ó Cuív is in possession.
It is simple fact that for as long as I was in government, there was a car available in the area. Under the Minister's tenure what is happening in my area is happening all over the country. A real-life example which the Minister cannot refute brings home at a human level what this means. The Minister has bought into a master plan but it will destroy the extraordinary bond that has existed between rural communities and their local gardaí over generations. Policing is about intelligence work. It is not about patrol cars whizzing around with gardaí in them. Rather it is about the garda living within the community who has the trust of the community, who is known to the community and the garda knowing about potential trouble within the community before it ever happens. Somebody somewhere within the system, either in the Civil Service, in the high echelons of An Garda Síochána or in the Minister's office, has got a great new policing plan which envisages a district policing headquarters with everyone radiating out from it in police cars. I do not care from what manual in what country they got that plan. It will not deliver the safe communities that we have been used to. Thankfully, where I live there has been very little crime in the various places where there is a resident garda. I suggest the Minister look at Letterfrack if he wants to see the difference between having a resident garda and a non-resident garda. There were difficulties with young people at Letterfrack which has a third-level college. The Garda station was renovated and a resident garda was put in place. He spoke to the young people. They understood him and he understood them. According to the headmaster of the college, once the principal spoke at a public meeting attended by 150 people, the problems disappeared. I say to the Minister to go back to where it works, leave it the way it was and do not destroy something that has served this country well.
I wish to join in the expressions of sympathy to the Donohoe family and to the Garda force on this brutal murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe. I refer to the tributes paid to Garda Donohoe. The description of his participation and engagement with the local community, his activity outside of the hours of work, could be applied to almost every garda in every community throughout the country. They have arrived at this level of engagement with the local community arising from the community garda initiative. This has built up great confidence between the community and the Garda force. It has led to significant intelligence being made available to the Garda to aid in crime prevention. It has assisted families who were involved in crime to break that cycle and to bring young people back to a more constructive way of life. The initiative has also cracked down on drug use, on grow houses and on the devastation caused by drug abuse in communities up and down the country.
Reference was made earlier to burglary and that fact that it is probably more associated with urban centres. That was the view expressed by a Government Deputy. I disagree with that view. Burglary is a crime that plagues the country, whether in urban or rural areas. Local gardaí are needed to combat burglaries.
The debate has referred to what happened yesterday and last year and when Fianna Fáil was in government. We are told we have a brass neck now that we are in opposition to put down this motion. If the Minister is not going to listen to us, I ask him to listen to the former member on "Prime Time" last night and his description of the lack of funding for the force now which has caused it to be in a position where it cannot collect the type of intelligence it was able to collect at one time which led to the crackdown on crime. If the Minister is not prepared to listen to him, then he should listen to Fr. Buckley who described, in my opinion, the argument against the closure of these stations adequately and well. While he described his home place of Galway, that same description could fit neatly to most of the constituencies and locations we represent. There is fear in the homes of people who live alone. There is fear among those elderly people who live in either an urban or rural setting. Business people are living in fear. They are fearful when conducting business, making a lodgment, closing up late at night. The Minister by his action in closing these stations is adding a further substantial cost to those business people as they go about creating employment or sustaining employment. If the Minister is not going to listen to us, he should listen to all of the other people who served in that force. He should listen to the Fine Gael councillor on "Six One News" tonight who laid it out clearly for the Minister and pleaded with him to stop now before it is too late. I know from the closures in Ballyragget, Johnstown and Inistioge in County Kilkenny that in that geographical localised area once those stations are closed there will be a huge problem for those local communities. There will be a huge disconnection between the force and those communities. That is not good because crime figures will climb if action is not taken or if the Minister continues with this programme of closures.
Like my colleagues on all sides of the House I wish to offer my condolences to the wife and family of Detective Garda Donohoe and to his colleagues and friends. The date and notification of this motion predates that terrible tragedy. I know the content of the motion in no way reflects the circumstances of that brutal slaying. Our party spokesperson, Deputy Niall Collins, has already made that distinction. I ask that the Minister accept that in the spirit in which it is meant.
In the short time allocated to me I do not propose to address any specific issue in the motion but rather I support it in its entirety. As other speakers have localised the issue, on behalf of my constituents in the areas of Shannonbridge and Geashill in County Offaly I wish to give voice to their feeling of betrayal of the election promises made when the Minister and his party said they would put more gardaí in all communities. That is the right and privilege given to us as representatives. As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl said, it is our obligation to bring forward the sentiments of those people.
The best qualities and traits of any member of the force is his or her ability to immerse himself or herself seamlessly into the communities he or she serves. Generations before mine will tell of the benefits of that policy direction by previous Governments of all hues that has allowed this to evolve over time to the present day. Many gardaí have succeeded in successfully altering methods to meet the demands of a changing society. Governments have placed at their disposal resources to meet the demands in education, equipment and facilities, to allow that evolution to take place. In the Minister's short time in office, he has paused, as the Taoiseach says, using a word other than "cut", proceedings in Templemore. There is an equipment deficit. He is now taking the bricks and mortar of the facilities which was a sign to those communities that there is security in that community. The Minister by his actions is turning all that has gone before on its head. He is playing games with the morale and the direction of the force.
He is playing games with the fears of the most vulnerable, both rural and urban. I wonder what the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has against Cork, given that the second city of our country has but one 24-hour Garda station. That will be some legacy for the Government.
The Minister's party prided itself on being the party of law and order. It has been difficult for us, in canvassing in our communities, to rid Fine Gael of that title. Nothing we have done will achieve it; all that will achieve it is what the Minister has proposed since he took office. His efforts at smart policing, be it through the provision of remote-control gardaí or Robocops, will be seen for the rubbish that they are. This is evident from what is being said to us by the communities we serve. This is a grave and ridiculous mistake that I fail to understand. The Minister's colleagues in the Government cannot portray its ridiculousness. I hope their very obvious pleadings tonight to reverse the decision and get it right for once will be heard, even at this late stage.
In the short time allowed to me, a little bit of reality and a few facts might do no harm. It was the former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, who actually stopped recruitment to Templemore. The last recruits graduated in 2011, having entered in 2009. The agreement that Fianna Fáil made with the troika to reduce Garda strength by 1,700 to 13,000 ensured that no further recruitment could happen. Sometimes the facts are important. Fianna Fáil's argument about what this Government has had to do to rescue the country from the abyss it created is ridiculous.
Deputy Ó Cuív, who apparently always comes into the House as the honest broker, told us there was always a car available in his area. There is a car available there now only because the Government put in place a budget to ensure cars would be replaced. There was nothing when we came into office and nothing in Fianna Fáil's proposals.
I do not want to read from the first page of the formal script.
The Minister of State might be safer doing so.
Deputy Dooley is not talking about Shannon now. He really needs to listen.
On the night that is in it, in the wake of an awful tragedy and the burial a few hours ago of a brave and honest man, Fianna Fáil should really have withdrawn its motion. This is not the night for dividing, nor is it the night for the type of politics we have heard.
Fine Gael closed the Garda stations.
That is cynical posturing.
The motion will be seen for what it is. I reiterate what the Minister for Justice and Equality said last night. It is not the case that there was a last-minute request to have this withdrawn; a request was made early enough for it to happen.
By whom?
I am really surprised that it was not withdrawn. It is a deeply cynical, dishonest motion, and even Fianna Fáil should have had sufficient insight to have recognised the inappropriateness of proposing, debating and voting on such a motion at this time. Tonight is not the night for this House to divide and engage in politics as usual with regard to any matter affecting An Garda Síochána.
As has every Member, I express my deepest sympathy to the family of Detective Garda Donohoe, a young man who is leaving a young wife and family after him. He put his life on the line to protect us and protect democracy. I hope he will rest in peace.
Fianna Fáil has surpassed itself with its memory loss over the past two nights. It is not often that Sinn Féin supports the Minister but even it could not hold back on the breathtaking hypocrisy we heard from the party that sold this country down the river and ensured the taxpayer was left to pay for the mess it left behind. The fact that it was the party that agreed with the EU-IMF to reduce Garda numbers to 13,000 speaks for itself and does not warrant further comment.
The Commissioner has the full backing of the Minister in his endeavours to bring about meaningful change in the force. The suggestion that the Minister is absolving himself and pointing the finger at Garda management for the closure of Garda stations must be rejected outright and shows how little the Deputies know about the law of the land. As required under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner prepared his draft policing plan for 2013. In doing so, he carried out an assessment of the potential for improved efficiencies in the structure and organisation of the Garda Síochána. His objective is, as always, to provide the most effective policing service possible, within available resources, across the country. A key question that arose during that assessment was whether it was better to have highly trained members of the Garda Síochána confined to indoor duties when they could be available for front-line operational policing. The Garda Commissioner concluded that resources could be better deployed by closing some Garda stations and reducing the public opening hours of others at off-peak times, which in turn has released gardaí for operational duties. The gardaí will continue to work with the communities they serve and Garda management will continue to monitor closely the allocation of resources, taking account of transfers and retirements, crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on district, divisional and regional levels.
An allegation made was that the new roster is not working. It is working very well. All the reports from gardaí operating it suggest that they are quite happy with it and that it is working extremely well.
I am sharing time with Deputies Dooley, Lowry and Niall Collins.
I join everyone in the House in sympathising with the family of the late Garda Adrian Donohoe, particularly his wife Caroline and their young son and daughter, and his colleagues in the Garda force. I sympathise also with their friends and comrades and the wider community. Adrian's loss has been deeply felt across the country in recent days. It will be deeply felt within the Garda force and Adrian's community for a very long time.
Coming from the part of the country I come from, I know only too well the danger that gardaí must endure, often on a daily basis. In Donegal in the past three years, two gardaí, Garda Robbie McCallion and Garda Gary McLoughlin, were lost. Only the weekend before last, there was an incident in the county in which a Garda car was rammed while gardaí were in the process of making an arrest, once again highlighting the dangers that many gardaí must encounter daily. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for that.
As has been rightly pointed out, this motion predated the death of Garda Donohoe. It is based on the fact that crime has been escalating recently. I refer in particular to burglaries, no more so than in my county. From November to January, there were several cases. In November, Phyllis McGee, a 78 year old lady from Pettigo, was burgled. On 5 January, a 96 year old from Buncrana, Margaret "Greta" Lilly, was burgled. On 7 and 8 January, a number of homes were ransacked in the Raphoe-Convoy area. On 12 January, Phyllis McGee was again targeted. On 14 January, Eric and Jim Steele of Manorcunningham were targeted, and they too were targeted for a second time. On 16 January, John Gallagher, from outside Buncrana, and Bernie Doherty, an elderly lady from Ture, were targeted. The Minister's response has been grossly inadequate.
His response since taking on the role of Minister for Justice and Equality bears no resemblance to his performance here on the Opposition benches when he was the Opposition spokesperson. Back then the Minister could not tell the people loudly enough that if they just let him at it the country would be a safer place and how we would do the devil and all. Unfortunately, his performance since then bears no resemblance to the politician he was in opposition, and the same can be said for many of his Cabinet colleagues. If a modern day novelist was to do a retake on the George Orwell classic he or she would not have to create too many fictional characters to put a book together such has been the change in nature of many of the people in the Cabinet from what they were previously.
I ask that the Minister stop draining the resources from the Garda and that he gives its members the equipment and the finances they need to do their job on a daily basis. I ask that instead of describing Border areas in Donegal as not being a special case and burglaries as unfortunate, which is the word he used recently to describe them, he would deploy the resources required to ensure our communities are kept safe.
I thank Deputy McConalogue for sharing time. I want to place on the record of the House my sympathies to the family of the late Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and to his wife, Caroline Deloughery, who hails from my constituency. I had the opportunity to visit the family home yesterday evening and to attend the funeral today. It is clear that this House and the entire population are at one in expressing their sympathies and saying to the perpetrators of this dreadful crime that it is not acceptable and that every resource of the State should and will be put in place to bring these people to justice.
I am deeply disappointed that the Minister has sought to complicate that issue with the motion before the House. I compliment Deputy Niall Collins on putting down the motion in the first instance. I compliment him on resisting the Minister's cynical attempts to utilise this crime as a means of getting this debate off the agenda. It was a cynical attempt by a Minister who has lost touch not just with the people but with the entire force of the Garda Síochána. I have spoken to many gardaí in recent days. They did not want the two issues connected. The Minister succeeded in doing that. They wanted this debate to go ahead. If the Minister were genuine in his desire to change it he would have deferred the closure of the Garda stations but he presented this arrogant Al approach to the effect that Fianna Fáil is wrong, it is responsible for everything and let us dump on them again. The people have seen through that this time, and the Minister's cynical attempt to connect these two events will come back to haunt him in a way that he deserves with regard to this particular issue.
The Minister sought to justify the closures of Garda stations in rural areas by suggesting that he is implementing smart policing. Does he realise how hurtful the use of that word is to the men and women who have served this country since the foundation of the State? Was their policing not smart? Was it somehow "thick" policing? What is the Minister at using that kind of offensive language to suggest that he now has some smart way of doing it? In the rural areas with which I am well familiar he has sought to utilise the notion that somehow the closure of the station gets the gardaí off their soft chairs and out of the warm confines of these rural stations. Rural policing and the policing that has centred around those stations has meant the garda comes to the station for an hour, does his or her administration work, and then circulates in the area. The Minister's idea is to get rid of that, and he somehow believes they will be able to resolve the policing matters by driving through the area.
This is the first step towards the urbanisation of the Garda Síochána because he knows full well that as pressure comes on in the urban areas the gardaí that were assigned to those rural areas will not get to go out in the morning because they will not be rostered to open the station. Ultimately, there will be no rural policing. There may not be the available resources to provide the cars, and the Minister was slow to provide the cars on which his colleague beside him gave the wonderful delivery to the effect that it was great he managed to find the resources when he came to office. He found the resources when the gardaí showed him up and started to talk openly that they were not in a position to do the most basic of rural policing. The Minister will smile. He is okay. He will go back to his leafy suburbs in south County Dublin when there are men and women, elderly and young, living in absolute fear because the Minister has closed the doors on them and switched off the lights in many rural communities from tomorrow night onwards. That will come back to haunt him, and it is what he deserves.
One would think the Deputy's party did not destroy the country and put us in hock for years.
Arrogant Al at his best.
It bankrupted the country.
The members of the Garda Síochána have a special place in our society. They are the guardians of our peace, they keep us safe as individuals and protect our property. Gardaí never were and should never be a so-called legitimate target of criminals and thugs masquerading as republicans. Gardaí have earned and deserve our total respect and support.
Basic Garda pay has traditionally been supplemented by overtime and allowances which have now been greatly reduced or eliminated. Employment terms and conditions must be sufficient to allow gardaí have a reasonable standard of living that affords them to do the normal things such as marry, raise a family, own a home and live a normal life.
Templemore Garda College in my constituency has effectively been closed since this Government came to power. The college looks abandoned and Templemore has become a ghost business town.
In every aspect of their working lives gardaí have seen resources slashed and their working conditions made more challenging. They are being shackled in the fight against crime. Garda numbers have declined and continue to be reduced. The surge in early retirements of professional, highly trained and skilled members has left a huge deficit in the experience levels within the force.
This Government has failed to equip gardaí with adequate quality vehicles to fight well-resourced criminals. Garda cars are not taken out of service until they have clocked a ridiculously high 350,000 km. Even then cars taken from service are not being replaced. Tipperary alone has lost 14 vehicles since 2010.
Rural stations in Tipperary and across the country have been targeted for closure by this Government, devastating local communities and resulting in huge fear, trepidation and anxiety in the communities affected. Garda divisions are being merged and due to that policy Templemore Garda district is to be dismantled.
These continued erosions of Garda resources have resulted in disillusionment and poor morale among its members. The reduction in Garda cover has led to unprecedented levels of fear across all sections of our society. Older people, particularly in rural areas, are living in fear locked in their homes, terrified at the prospect of being burgled and shocked by the stories of violence against our elderly. Families, home owners and farmers are faced with the reality of having to take significant steps to protect themselves against the increasing prevalence of break-ins, theft of vehicles and fuel oil. These communities have seen their security ripped away and their viability undermined.
A reduction in Garda numbers is a ministerial and governmental policy initiative to save money. It is not about better policing; it is about cutbacks. It is a false economy to continue to undermine our gardaí in this way. The reality is that crime is rising and criminals are increasingly sophisticated. We must protect our protectors and ensure that every possible resource is made available to assist them in this challenging and brave work.
Yesterday in this Chamber we saw two gross acts of hypocrisy. We rightly had expressions of sympathy for the late Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and during those it was despicable that Deputy Gerry Adams came in here and engaged in a brazen act of hypocrisy in trying to cleanse his political pedigree by apologising for the killing of Jerry McCabe 17 years ago. The killing of Jerry McCabe was a murder, nothing more or nothing less. It was a murder then and it is still a murder today. Seventeen years on we must ask why Deputy Gerry Adams came into the House to engage in that act of hypocrisy.
There were so many other opportunities in the intervening 17 years. One has to ask oneself why he did not condemn the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe rather than arranging cheerleading parties to greet them when they came out of prison or having special status for them at their political party meetings or at Sinn Féin Ard-Fheiseanna. It makes me sick, I can tell you that. I think it makes a lot of people sick.
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, formed an alliance yesterday with the Sinn Féin Party in trying to upend a democratic motion on a matter which affects every single community in urban and rural Ireland. The Minister engaged in a cynical political exercise by trying to politicise the events around a garda's funeral this week and trying to link them to our motion. Shame on the Minister. He should have been bigger and a man about it and risen above it.
The Deputy should have withdrawn the motion. It was the wrong motion.
Our motion was tabled on Friday morning to deal with the closure of Garda stations and the reduction of Garda resources. The Minister engaged in a spinning exercise and even ended up tangling himself up in his own spin. Many other commentators have also said, as I have said for the past several months, that the Minister is going in the wrong direction with the closure of rural Garda stations. He had little support from his own party colleagues during this motion. Many of them came in here during the debate and gave him benign support. The Minister waffled away about a national development plan. When it did not suit him, he voted against it.
It was a Fianna Fáil national development plan.
He voted against it so the Minister cannot rely on it for political cover.
That plan did not provide for proper funding.
The Minister talks about politicising a debate. This was a genuine debate addressing genuine concerns of people which the Minister does not recognise.
The Deputy forgets the past.
If the Minister wanted the motion withdrawn, he should have been a man about it and contacted me directly but he could not even do that.
Deputy Niall Collins should have gone through the proper channels.
Fianna Fáil is responsible for destroying the public finances. The Deputy should have withdrawn the motion.
The Minister is responsible for An Garda Síochána but he is taking the force in the wrong direction. He only has to listen to his own party members on radio and television who are telling him to reverse his decision on the closure of Garda stations.
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 78; Níl, 48.
Tá
- Barry, Tom.
- Breen, Pat.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Butler, Ray.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Catherine.
- Byrne, Eric.
- Carey, Joe.
- Collins, Áine.
- Conaghan, Michael.
- Connaughton, Paul J..
- Conway, Ciara.
- Coonan, Noel.
- Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
- Creed, Michael.
- Daly, Jim.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Deering, Pat.
- Doherty, Regina.
- Dowds, Robert.
- Doyle, Andrew.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frank.
- Ferris, Anne.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Flanagan, Terence.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harrington, Noel.
- Harris, Simon.
- Hayes, Tom.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Hogan, Phil.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Humphreys, Kevin.
- Keating, Derek.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Kyne, Seán.
- Lawlor, Anthony.
- Lynch, Kathleen.
- Maloney, Eamonn.
- Mathews, Peter.
- McCarthy, Michael.
- McGinley, Dinny.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McLoughlin, Tony.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mitchell, Olivia.
- Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
- Mulherin, Michelle.
- Murphy, Dara.
- Nash, Gerald.
- Neville, Dan.
- Noonan, Michael.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Mahony, John.
- Perry, John.
- Phelan, Ann.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Spring, Arthur.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Stanton, David.
- Timmins, Billy.
- Tuffy, Joanna.
- Twomey, Liam.
- Varadkar, Leo.
- Walsh, Brian.
- White, Alex.
Níl
- Adams, Gerry.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Broughan, Thomas P..
- Calleary, Dara.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Niall.
- Colreavy, Michael.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Daly, Clare.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Stephen S..
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Ferris, Martin.
- Flanagan, Luke 'Ming'.
- Fleming, Tom.
- Halligan, John.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Higgins, Joe.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Kirk, Seamus.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- Martin, Micheál.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McLellan, Sandra.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- O'Brien, Jonathan.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Sullivan, Maureen.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Ross, Shane.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Troy, Robert.
- Wallace, Mick.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Paul Kehoe and Emmet Stagg; Níl, Deputies Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Michael Moynihan.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 77; Níl, 47.
Tá
- Barry, Tom.
- Breen, Pat.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Butler, Ray.
- Buttimer, Jerry.
- Byrne, Catherine.
- Byrne, Eric.
- Carey, Joe.
- Collins, Áine.
- Conaghan, Michael.
- Connaughton, Paul J.
- Conway, Ciara.
- Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
- Creed, Michael.
- Daly, Jim.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- Deering, Pat.
- Doherty, Regina.
- Dowds, Robert.
- Doyle, Andrew.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frank.
- Ferris, Anne.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Flanagan, Terence.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harrington, Noel.
- Harris, Simon.
- Hayes, Tom.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Hogan, Phil.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Humphreys, Kevin.
- Keating, Derek.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Kyne, Seán.
- Lawlor, Anthony.
- Lynch, Kathleen.
- Maloney, Eamonn.
- McCarthy, Michael.
- McGinley, Dinny.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McLoughlin, Tony.
- McNamara, Michael.
- Mathews, Peter.
- Mitchell, Olivia.
- Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
- Mulherin, Michelle.
- Murphy, Dara.
- Nash, Gerald.
- Neville, Dan.
- Noonan, Michael.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Mahony, John.
- Perry, John.
- Phelan, Ann.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Spring, Arthur.
- Stagg, Emmet.
- Stanton, David.
- Timmins, Billy.
- Tuffy, Joanna.
- Twomey, Liam.
- Varadkar, Leo.
- Walsh, Brian.
- White, Alex.
Níl
- Adams, Gerry.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Collins, Joan.
- Collins, Niall.
- Colreavy, Michael.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Daly, Clare.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Stephen S.
- Dooley, Timmy.
- Ferris, Martin.
- Flanagan, Luke 'Ming'.
- Fleming, Tom.
- Halligan, John.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Higgins, Joe.
- Kelleher, Billy.
- Kirk, Seamus.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- Martin, Micheál.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McLellan, Sandra.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Ó Fearghaíl, Seán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- O'Brien, Jonathan.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Sullivan, Maureen.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Ross, Shane.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Troy, Robert.
- Wallace, Mick.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Paul Kehoe and Emmet Stagg; Níl, Deputies Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Michael Moynihan.
Question declared carried.
The Dáil adjourned at 11.25 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 31 January 2013.