I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Currie, for attending in the House. I wish to refer to the closure of the Port Road in Letterkenny by the Garda on the Easter Saturday night due to disturbances which occurred just off the road on the Ramelton side. I understand there was only one garda on duty in this area of the town that night. He was badly hurt and has not returned to work since due to the injuries he sustained. I recently raised this matter at a meeting of the urban district council out of concern for the Port Road residents and the gardaí. I received many representations from people from the town and from outside Letterkenny.
Problems in this area of the town have been ongoing for a number of years. In the past when there was trouble the Garda numbers were increased for a few weeks and that seemed to calm matters. There have been calls for extra gardaí in the Port Road area on a Saturday night when trouble is expected there. The matter has been swept under the carpet time and again.
Public houses and clubs in the town have been raided by the Garda recently who exercise a tough policy. However, the same policy does not apply to the clubs on the Port Road. There are two main clubs on the Port Road and when the gardaí arrive there the shutters go down. However, when the gardaí leave, the shutters go back up and business resumes. People then drink as much as they can in the short time before closing. These people come onto the streets and create mayhem. There have been many fights in the area and I am sure the number of arrests must run into thousands.
This is very worrying for the residents on the Port Road. The late Justice McMenamin commented that the clubs which serve such people drinks should be responsible for their behaviour. I agree with that sentiment. The Garda is not applying the law fairly in this case. Outside Letterkenny, in areas such as Dromahill, St. Johnstone and Raphoe, a number of premises have been visited on an ongoing basis by the Garda and a number of summonses issued against the owners. The club in Raphoe has almost been put out of business because of attention from the Garda. However, one would not hear of the same amount of trouble there as in Letterkenny.
On the night in question there were up to 3,000 people on the Port Road. More gardaí were needed. Manpower should be deployed at the time and in the area in which it is most needed, that is to say, on the Port Road on a Saturday. I ask the Minister of State to meet the Garda Commissioner and request an investigation into and a resolution of the problem once and for all. I do not believe the law should be broken, but if it is to be applied it must be applied fairly to everyone. If the clubs on the Port Road are responsible for what is happening and the Garda is not able to tackle the problem, someone else may well have to do so. I seek the Minister of State's help in this matter to give the people in the area peace of mind.
