I thank the Minister for answering the series of letters sent him recently on this subject; I had raised the issue before sending them. It is an urgent matter and I will give reasons the Castletroy area should have a Garda station and a Garda presence based there.
It is an area of expanding population. The greater Castletroy area has roughly 20,000 people which, when compared to Nenagh, Newcastlewest or any other town in the mid-west region which has a Garda station, means it also should have one. The population will continue to grow and the projection is that it will double by the year 2010. The population is young because the University of Limerick is in the area and has 10,000 students and 600 staff.
The matter came to a head two weeks ago when I was invited as a local representative to a meeting in the university with the local superintendent, local residents and the president of the university. There had been six attacks on young people which were not within the confines of the university but in the suburban area adjoining the Dublin road. They were serious because they were on young men as well as young women and on foreign students as well. The meeting was held because students, especially young female students, were fearful for their safety in walking to and from the university.
As a result, the president improved the lighting within the campus and is installing cameras. The county council, of which I am a member, is ensuring all lights within surrounding housing estates are checked and replaced, if necessary, by the ESB, because we felt we had to show our support for greater security. While the attacks were not within the confines of the university, the president felt so strongly about them, he spent approximately £240,000 improving security and safety in the college.
The concern is with what happens outside the college. Apart from the university, there is a huge young population in the national technological park, known locally as Plassey. For example, Dell has shift workers coming and going throughout the night, a significant number of whom are young women. Some excellent work has been done by the local superintendent and the local community garda, Séamus O'Neill. The recently appointed university president, Dr. Downer, intends writing to the Minister, as do students. The area has high technology industrial development which needs security. Local residents, of whom I have not yet spoken, are also extremely concerned. The area has businesses, including three banks, so it is crying out for a Garda station. There has been a huge increase in the number of new cars and there is tremendous traffic on the N7, which is the gateway to the mid-west.
When the issue was to the forefront and the emphasis was on dealing with the attacks, additional gardaí were redeployed from the city out to Castletroy, something the superintendent and local community garda obviously welcomed. However, when gardaí are relocated from the city to Castletroy, it obviously depletes force numbers in the city and that is unsustainable. The concern is that, if a guarantee is given for an increased Garda presence in the area, it means they will be taken from the city.
I made inquiries and found that, between 1990 and 1991, the Garda strength in the city appears to have fallen. There has been a decrease in the Limerick area overall and any further decrease because of an increased presence in Castletroy will interfere with the support the city needs.
I know the Minister cannot produce a Garda station tomorrow morning, but we have reached crisis point. The matter is extremely urgent. It is in the Minister's interest to have a crime-free city and to ensure people have a good quality of life. I have been receiving representations on this matter for a long time and they have increased as a result of the most recent attacks. I know local gárdaí, from the newest recruit to the Chief Superintendent, are behind me in seeking a Garda station in Castletroy. In the local authority's view there would not be a problem in obtaining a site or getting planning permission. The area is developing rapidly and the most centralised sites will not be available later. We must take action now. I appeal to the Minister to respond positively on this matter and to give me a specific date for the building of a Garda station in our area.
