Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
83. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide dedicated transport police for DART and commuter train lines in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45650/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe safety and security of passengers and staff, including arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour, are matters first and foremost for the individual public transport companies in conjunction with, as appropriate, An Garda Síochána.
While the vast majority of public transport passenger journeys occur without incident, I am concerned to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff travelling and working on our rail network.
Therefore, following representations from the National Bus and Rail Union regarding the establishment of a dedicated police force for public transport, my Department wrote to Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Advisory Council (RSAC) to seek their views on the issue of anti-social behaviour on the rail network.
In its response, Iarnród Éireann outlined a number of measures that the company has taken in an effort to safeguard the security of passengers and staff. These measures have included the allocation of additional security and supervisory operatives, particularly at night and in certain areas, as well as more resources for centralised CCTV monitoring stations. The company also emphasised that it works closely with An Garda Síochána on anti-social behaviour in general and receives the full support of the Gardaí.
More recently, Iarnród Éireann has advised that security and supervisory operatives have been allocated, particularly at night, in certain areas and at sensitive times, such as last week’s mid-term break, Halloween and the forthcoming late-night Christmas services.
In addition, I understand that Iarnród Éireann has now commenced the deployment of on-board customer-service officers on intercity trains. While the primary focus will be on customer service, their presence is intended to deter anti-social behaviour and will enable rapid contact with security and/or An Garda Síochána, should this be required.
The RSAC, in its response, recommended the establishment of a dedicated unit of An Garda Síochána to police our rail network on occasions when the possibility of anti-social behaviour is high.
Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus were also contacted for their views and both companies responded that the level of anti-social behaviour is relatively low and noted a declining trend which is very positive. Both companies also stressed the strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána.
Following engagement with the public transport companies and the RSAC, I wrote to the Minister for Justice and Equality to seek his views as to how we might best address the issue of anti-social behaviour on our transport system, in particular on the Irish Rail network.
I have asked that the Minister consider this issue in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, given that the allocation of all Garda resources, including the manner in which Garda personnel are deployed, is solely a decision for the Garda Commissioner and his management team. I will continue to work with the Minister for Justice on this important issue.
