Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
31. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on the effect of antisocial behaviour on central Dublin businesses; and if he has corresponded with the Minister for Justice on the matter. [43559/22]
View answerThe Retail Forum is a platform for engagement with members of the retail sector to discuss issues affecting the sector. As Chair of this Forum, from time to time I hear from members about their experiences with anti-social behaviour in Dublin City centre.
At the June 2022 Retail Forum, I heard from members regarding safety concerns for some businesses around the country including safety concerns for staff working late shifts. Minutes from a Retail Forum Working Group meeting on Town Centre First /Night-time Economy of 16th May 2022 record how members mentioned that later trading hours will have personal implications for their staff, including safety considerations.
The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce published in September 2021 contained 36 practical recommendations in the area of regulation, licensing, planning, transport, safety and increasing the diversity of activities as part of the night-time offering.
The Report recommended specific actions in relation to the issue of public safety and security and suggested ways that current structures could support and enhance safety measures to improve our public realm and create a strong sense of safety for the Night-Time Economy.
An Implementation Group made up of key Departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Agencies and sectoral representation has been established to ensure that the recommendations contained within the Report are implemented in full.
My officials have also been in touch with Department of Justice officials regarding measures being taken to ensure community safety, including in the Dublin Metropolitan region. The following measures are the current An Garda Síochána operations in Dublin:
Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP)
- The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) recognised that Community Safety is not solely the responsibility of the Gardaí or the Department of Justice. It is a whole of Government responsibility.
- There are currently 3 pilot LCSPs running in Longford, Waterford and Dublin North Inner City.
- Each LCSP is fully established, with an independent Chair and a Partnership Co-ordinator.
- The Partnerships are working on their Local Community Safety Plans, which will be informed by, and tailored to, the needs to the community.
- Learnings from these Pilots will inform the rollout of LCSPs to every Local Authority area on enactment of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill
Proposed O’Connell St Premises for An Garda Síochána.
- A property located at 13A Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1 has been identified as a strategically important piece of infrastructure to enhance An Garda Síochána’s high visibility policing service in the DMR North Central Division.
- The property will not be a Garda station as it will not be a place of detention/custody.
- The property will act as a ‘hub’ and offer most of the services of a public office of a Garda station with some exceptions (such as verifying passport applications).
- Members attached to certain operations such as Operation Citizen will be able to ‘parade’ at the hub (report for duty).
- The project is being progressed by AGS and OPW.
- Part IX planning permission has been lodged with Dublin City Council for a change of use of the premises.
Operation Citizen
- Operation Citizen is the Garda operation to reassure the citizens, visitors and the business community in Dublin City Centre that it is a safe place in which to visit, socialise, conduct business and enjoy its amenities.
- The aim of this operation is to deliver an enhanced high visibility policing presence in Dublin City Centre on a daily basis.
- On a daily basis there are in excess of 20 dedicated Gardaí on foot / mountain bike patrols, supported by 12 mobile patrols (24 members) from Pearse Street, Store Street, Bridewell and Kevin Street Garda Stations.
- There are in excess of 100 Gardaí deployed to patrol Dublin City Centre each weekend.
- 8 Gardaí assigned to this initiative full time and are specifically patrolling along the Boardwalk, Quays and environs every day 4pm – 4am supported by 30 additional Gardaí deployed on beat patrols in City Centre Friday, Saturday, Sunday evening supported by 5 Regional Armed patrols (10 members).
- The operation provides in excess of 500 additional hours policing each week to Dublin City Centre.
- The Garda National Public Order Unit (25 personnel on mobile patrols), when deployed, provide additional tactical and operational support to frontline personnel.
- Members of the Garda Mounted, Garda Dog Unit and DMR Roads Policing Unit support Operation Citizen by way of high additional visibility beats and patrols.
Operation Saul
- Introduced in January 2022, Operation Saul is a complimentary operation to Operation Citizen, focused on public transport networks in the DMR.
- Operation Saul involves the effective management and planned delivery of all working resources in the DMR to ensure the delivery both an overt and covert policing response on board Bus, Luas, Dart and Train services to effectively tackle anti-social behaviour, public order and criminal activity, on a daily basis.
