Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed)

2:10 pm

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to be given an opportunity to meet the witnesses. I thank them for attending. It is significant that all the Deputies present are from rural areas. Perhaps members from towns and cities do not have as much interest in this issue or they may not experience as many problems as members from rural areas. As Deputies Michael Collins and Ó Cuív stated, it is vital that the Garda engage with people in communities. Much of this engagement has been lost in rural parts of County Kerry. My village of Kilgarvan had a Garda station until a couple of years ago when the then Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr. Alan Shatter, blew the whole thing asunder by closing down a large number of Garda stations. In bad times, when the country did not have much, the village had four gardaí and a sergeant in the station. As the years went by, the number dwindled to two and eventually one but even with only one garda, there was still a high level of engagement with people in the parish. There are 900 people on the electoral register in the area, which does not include children., and every member of every household knew the local garda. Whether in or out of uniform, he was recognisable.

The witnesses should not misunderstand me. The gardaí who come from Kenmare and Killarney are great but people in the village cannot identify them and do not know them as well because they change and are on shifts. The garda in Kilgarvan Garda station was recognisable and people confided in him. We have a lost a wealth of knowledge through the loss of local gardaí. In many instances, they were ahead of the posse because they knew who was who, which meant they also knew who they did not have to waste time with. They were vital.

There are three peninsulas in County Kerry extending from the bay where I live to Castlemaine and Valentia Island. There are many piers and inlets along the coast and people in the county are very worried it is wide open to drug trafficking. This issue is not being adequately addressed. No one seems to know how drugs are being brought into the country. The coastline of County Kerry is long, encompassing Bearhaven, Cahirciveen, Dingle and so forth. We depend on the few gardaí we have to manage the coast, which is hard on them. More resources are required for this purpose.

I am aware from speaking to local gardaí that more CCTV cameras are needed in public places. This technology would be of assistance to local garda units in cases of serious robberies. I have been asked to press for this and I ask the witnesses to make it a priority.

We hear a great deal about Facebook. People should be advised not to place posts on Facebook indicating where they are going. In the past, people were cute and would barely tell someone else if they were going into the village. Now everyone knows via Facebook if someone or an entire family is travelling to Dublin. This makes them a sitting target. It is ridiculous that people are so open about where they are going and what they are doing. Pointing out on Facebook that one is heading off to Spain with the family on holiday creates a sitting target. People post pictures of themselves togged out on some strand, which is grand but their home could be burgled while they are away. They then wonder what happened when they come back.

To give an example of how cute people were in the past, the postmaster used to send his brother out to deliver telegrams. One day, this man met my two uncles while delivering telegrams and asked them how much further he had to go. One of my uncles said, "James, where are you going?"

He said, "Mind your own business, but will you tell me how far I have to go?" No one told people what they were doing. It seems ridiculous. I have to confess I do not use Facebook as I am not much into that. I have the kind of phone that does me. Social media are contributing to many burglaries and robberies and there should be a public awareness campaign telling people to cop on a small bit when giving out information so freely about themselves.

I have come across another issue. I have great respect for gardaí and I know the Garda has the people in the community at the forefront all the time. Members of An Garda Síochána should be allowed to retire when they want to do so; it should be their own wish. When many gardaí retire at the age of 50 or 54, they still have an awful lot to offer. They have a wealth of knowledge and many ways to deal with matters, which they have built up over their careers. At that stage of their careers, it comes very easy to them. It should be up to members to decide when they retire; it should be their own decision. At that age, they are very much at their best and have a lot more to offer.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.