Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1148. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Justice the engagements she has had with the Garda Commissioner regarding the escalating antisocial and violent behaviour in Dublin; if additional funding has been sought to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38190/23]
View answerAt the outset, I would like to assure the Deputy that it is my absolute priority as Minister to ensure everyone in Ireland is safe and feels safe as they go about their lives. While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for all operational policing matters, I am committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána have the resources needed to deliver on their mission of Keeping People Safe.
This commitment is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to An Garda Síochána in 2023. This represents an almost €500 million increase on 2019 and is allowing for sustained and ongoing recruitment and investment in new equipment, facilities and vehicles. I also recently announced a further €10 million for Garda overtime in Dublin for use this year.
I can assure the Deputy I have been in regular contact with the Garda Commissioner and the Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region, on the issue of Garda visibility and resources. I welcome the details recently provided by the Assistant Commissioner on how the additional €10m allocation will be spent.
This allocation will provide for an enhanced visible Garda presence at strategic locations in Dublin city centre and increased deployment of the Garda National Public Order Unit in the city centre, with €2m of the €10million dedicated to increased public order capacity.
Uniformed Gardaí will be supported in the city centre by the Garda Air Support Unit, the Garda Mounted Unit, the Garda Dog Unit, Regional Armed Response Units, and Road Policing Units, as required, to enhance visibility in the city centre
It is important to underline that the armed unit will only be deployed in serious circumstances when there is a threat to life or an individual is armed, as they have always done, and there will not be armed Garda Units patrolling the streets as a standard practice.
The funding will also provide for planned days of high impact operations in the city centre and across all DMR divisions, and for high visibility patrols on the transport network and near transport services.
I am assured that tackling street level drug dealing, anti-social behaviour, loitering and the seizure of alcohol will all form part of the combined effort to restore confidence in Dublin city centre from a policing perspective.
As the Deputy will appreciate, many of the issues in the city centre cannot be addressed by An Garda Síochána alone. The Commission on the Future of Policing recognised that community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Gardaí, or the Department of Justice; it is a whole of Government responsibility. To help achieve this goal, three pilot Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) have been established, including one in Dublin’s North Inner City. I was delighted to publish the Community Safety Plan for the Dublin Community Safety Partnership.
The Partnerships will build upon and replace the existing Joint Policing Committees, bringing together Gardaí, local representatives, community organisations and State bodies, to draft a Community Safety Plan tailored to the community's needs. No one knows better than those who live in a community what its needs are.
