I can assure the Deputy that I am aware of the concerns referred to and that I am in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner about all aspects of policing and community safety with a view to ensuring that the streets of our cities and towns are safe for all.
Policing in Dublin city centre is focused on targeting anti-social behaviour (particularly relating to excessive drinking), begging, theft and public order offences. A proactive approach is being applied with the emphasis being placed on known areas of anti-social behaviour and public order incidents. Measures are in place to address difficulties experienced by local residents and businesses including the designation of certain areas as hotspots for such criminality and with additional high-visibility patrols being directed by local Garda management.
A number of Garda Operations are being conducted in the North Inner City which actively combat the issue of anti-social behaviour. Operation Stilts utilises a high visibility presence to police identified areas including O'Connell Street, Marlborough Street, Talbot Street, North Earl St, Abbey St, Eden Quay, the Boardwalk, Wolfe Tone Street, Parnell Street and adjacent side streets to prevent and disrupt the activities of persons involved in anti-social behaviour and drug offences. In December 2012 the operation was further intensified by combining the use of uniformed high-visibility personnel and plain clothes personnel.
Operation Spire provides for a high visibility policing presence specifically on O'Connell Street at critical times to address anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and related crime through a robust regime of arrests, seizures, and by issuing anti-social behaviour orders. In this regard, Gardaí have made successful application for Orders from the District Court against a number of individuals, who have been banned from specific areas within the city centre.
The levels of activity and resources applied to particular Garda Operations fluctuate according to circumstances and these Operations are a part of the overall policing activity in the area. As such, a breakdown of the impact of the specific operations is not readily available but the relevant Central Statistics Office figures (Recorded Crime in the Dublin Metropolitan Region North Central Garda Division) indicate an overall downward trend in the range of offences typically associated with anti-social behaviour. More generally, local Garda management engage on an ongoing basis with a wide range of local businesses, community groups and other organisations with a view to addressing the many issues associated with policing a busy city centre with a vibrant night time economy. In particular, the Garda authorities participated in the multi-stakeholder Strategic Response Group (SRG) which published the report "A Better City for all" in June 2012. This Group set out a partnership approach to manage the provision of drug related services, and to address public substance misuse and associated anti-social behaviour in Dublin's city centre.
While the allocation of Garda resources to support Operation Stilts, or any other operation is, of course, a matter for the Garda Commissioner, he has assured me that local Garda management closely monitors the range of operational strategies in place, in conjunction with crime trends and policing needs of all who use the city centre, to ensure optimum use of resources, and that the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.
