I regret having to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I thought a parliamentary question would elicit the necessary information and changes. I refer to a position prevailing in an area of north county Dublin. Local gardaí in the Balbriggan Garda district which also includes Garda stations in Skerries, Rush and Lusk, are required to be available to escort young offenders from the Oberstown centres and Trinity House around the country. This may involve travelling to any destination but Cork and Tipperary are the two most frequently mentioned. The position is intolerable. There is one sergeant and two gardaí in Lusk Garda station. Lusk is on the outskirts of Dublin with a growing population and well documented problems associated with crime which are spreading to the countryside and, while it may be only temporary, that station is closed for a period during the day.
The Department of Justice and the Minister present should note that rural areas in which institutions, such as the Oberstown centres are located, encounter many problems, particularly those stemming from the regular escape of young offenders. It is intolerable that the local gardaí must police the transport of such offenders around the country. The Department should co-ordinate that policing at a national level. This would ensure that local gardaí would be free to do local policing duties without having to feed off the meagre resources in the locality in which those centres are located.
A number of changes should be made. The effect of this anomaly is that policing is greatly reduced in the local area. It is not a coincidence that there is a great deal of drug related crime, break-ins and personal assaults in that area, but I will not go into the statistics. There is a deeply held view in north County Dublin that Garda resources in the area are not sufficient to deal with serious crime or drug related problems. Gardaí must labour under the burden of facical bail laws for those found guilty of offences. It is important that these simple changes are made so that people do not feel vulnerable.
A stark example of crime in the area relates to an incident involving a member of the Defence Forces who was set upon at 8 o'clock on Sunday morning while putting golf clubs into the boot of his car. He was jumped on by a gang from the city who had stolen a car to travel to Balbriggan and were looking for a vehicle to travel back to the city. A member of the Defence Forces would not normally be regarded as vulnerable. Defence Forces personnel are taught to look after themselves. The situation is so serious that a member of the Defence Forces is not safe getting into his car on a Sunday morning. This is an example, which I hope will not be repeated, of the urgent need for the Department of Justice and its Minister, who is a TD for the area, to streamline policing in the area, to provide resources to deal with the problems there and to make sure that the Garda stations in Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan operate full time to deal with the reality of life in an area on the outskirts of the capital city. This urgent problem must be addressed and I hope the Minister's reply will give some comfort to the people awaiting it.
