Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 27 Feb 2003

Vol. 562 No. 3

Garda Stations.

Mr. Gogarty

I am pleased to see the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is in the House, given that Ronanstown was once in his constituency. Perhaps he will be able to influence his colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Ronanstown Garda station covers a number of rapidly growing areas, including Ronanstown, north Clondalkin, Neilstown, Rowlagh and south Lucan, which have seen huge development but very little in the way of facilities and infrastructure.

There is a deficit in terms of places for young people to hang out, which has led to an increase in anti-social behaviour. I have heard accounts of victimisation from single working mothers who are struggling to make ends meet for their families on the Foxdene estate. A number of years ago, a person told me that soiled nappies were put through her door on a regular basis and, recently, another individual had her house broken into while she was there and was told by a number of 14 year olds that they would be back the next night to take her motor bike. These people are known and the county council is doing its best to evict certain individuals through its anti-social officers, but in many cases the problem is that parents have no control over 14 year old children. The system does not have the means to stop these young tearaways from becoming involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour. Facilities are needed to distract people from a life of crime, but that is a debate for another night.

Tonight my focus is on Foxdene and Ronanstown Garda station, which has come under attack on a number of occasions recently from stone throwing mobs. A car was overturned outside its main entrance. There are four regular units in Ronanstown operating on the three shift system with one unit being rotated for holidays. There is an average of six persons working each shift, but that does not account for permanent sick leave and it does not include a probationary officer, who might be in Templemore. There are supposed to be two people in the station at all times, which leaves, at best, four gardaí available. Is the Minister of State aware that Ronanstown's public order vehicle is out of service, not because it is broken, but because of lack of personnel. Ronanstown has two regular cars and one public order vehicle. Before the election, the Government trumpeted Operation Encounter as a mechanism for getting tough on crime and boasted of how it would provide 2,000 extra gardaí. I am sceptical about that provision, but if we accept the Minister's word it is to be hoped that the personnel will be made available sooner rather than later.

Ronanstown must be targeted immediately because it cannot operate its public order vehicle. The suspension of overtime means that additional Garda staff are not available to man it in an area of high anti-social activity and where there is intimidation by persons under the age of 18. I am sure the Minister of State's script will include a great deal of back-slapping in relation to the amount of money invested over the past few years, but I want to hear specific detail of whether Operation Encounter still exists. Will the Minister of State make a commitment on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that Ronanstown will be given a sufficient overtime allocation to enable it to operate its previously successful public order vehicle? Will additional resources and motivation be supplied to ensure that areas like Foxdene are the subject of a targeted response from the Garda? Action taken over two or three weeks could root out many of the offenders. I ask the Minister to provide more resources for Ronanstown and, in particular, to allow the public order vehicle to be properly maintained.

Mr. B. Lenihan

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I welcome this opportunity to set out for the benefit of the House the current position. The Deputy will appreciate that the matter he raised on the Adjournment was the need for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to increase the resources at Ronanstown Garda station in light of the ongoing public order and crime problems, most recently in the Foxdene estate. The Deputy will appreciate that there was no reference to a public order vehicle in the notice of the Adjournment.

Mr. Gogarty

It is a valuable resource.

Mr. B. Lenihan

It is indeed a valuable resource but it was not referred to by the Deputy in the notice of the Adjournment, although as the Deputy outlined to the House, I am familiar with the area in question. For the record, the Foxdene estate is in very close proximity to the relevant Garda station.

The House will be aware that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for the overall provision of resources to the Garda Síochána while the commissioner is vested, under section 8 of the Police Forces Amalgamation Act 1925 with the general direction and control of the force, and the detailed allocation of personnel and resources to individual areas is a matter in the first instance for the Garda authorities.

The Minister will continue to ensure that the Garda Síochána has adequate resources to tackle crime. The Government has substantially increased the number of gardaí in recent years from 10,800 in 1997 to a current strength of approximately 11,900 members, and this is set to increase in the near future to 12,200 which is a historic high. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is committed to supporting the Garda Síochána in every way he can in tackling crime, not only through increasing Garda numbers, but through facilitating and promoting change and reform, both within the force and in the criminal justice system in general, aimed at meeting the challenges of present day crime. The Minister is, for example, finalising proposals for legislative change to significantly improve Garda powers of criminal investigation and currently has a Bill before this House to improve the law on public order.

A major review of Garda organisational structures under the strategic management initiative programme of modernisation is currently under way which centres on the efficiency and effectiveness of the way the force is organised and structured. The outcome of that review will be submitted for consideration by Government when completed.

A study for further civilianisation in the Garda Síochána was also completed as part of the bottom-up review of the organisation as recommended in the Garda steering group report of 1997. The objective of the study was to carry out a detailed analysis of existing posts held by gardaí to assess the potential for further civilianisation; to examine the options for career structure and related matters and to establish the implications for control of civilian staff by the Garda Commissioner. The study recommended a programme of civilianisation of 496 technical and administrative posts occupied by gardaí to allow for the release of Garda members to operational policing. These posts are located in Garda headquarters, in the Garda college and in districts and divisions throughout the country.

A working group, comprising representatives of the Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is overseeing implementation of the report. It is envisaged that the posts will be civilianised on a phased basis over a number of years. The impact of this development will result in a higher visibility presence of gardaí on the streets thus enhancing public safety and reducing public fear of crime and street violence. The releasing of gardaí will also result in putting expensive training and experience to better use and, among other things, allow for more resources for interventions with juveniles, youth clubs and special projects.

With regard to policing of the Foxdene estate referred to by the Deputy, the Minister has been informed by the Garda authorities that the personnel strength all ranks of Ronanstown Garda station as at 27 February 2003, is 71. This compares with a figure of 58 on 31 January 1997 and represents an increase of 13 or 22%, in the personnel allocated to Ronanstown since that date.

The Foxdene estate is regularly patrolled by gardaí from the divisional crime task force and the divisional traffic unit. Gardaí regularly meet local residents and members of South Dublin County Council to identify and deal with anti-social behaviour. Offenders have been identified, resulting in cautions being administered under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997, relocation of a family and the placing of a youth on a rehabilitation course.

As a result of ongoing patrols in the area, arrests have been made for the unauthorised taking of vehicles. Within the past three weeks four stolen cars were recovered by gardaí from Ronanstown in the area.

Since 1991 the Garda Síochána has operated special projects which aim at identifying young people at risk of involving themselves in criminal or anti-social behaviour in a defined geographical area. Special projects, which are funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, provide a series of intervention and prevention programmes.

The situation will be kept under review by the Garda authorities and when additional personnel next become available the needs of Ronanstown will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda districts throughout the country.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.25 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 4 March 2003.