Mr. Adrian Cummins:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to take part in today's discussion. I am joined by the deputy president of the association, Mr. Seán Collender, owner of the Kinara Restaurant Group in Dublin. I want to place on the record of the committee that the hospitality industry has huge respect for our police force in Ireland and fully supports all it does to protect and ensure the safety of our citizens throughout the country.

Our goal today is to shine a light on one of the aspects of street crime and antisocial behaviour, the impact it has on local businesses, including hospitality businesses, restaurants, pubs and cafes. When we surveyed the Restaurant Association of Ireland, RAI, Dublin-based members in advance of this meeting, they give us first-hand accounts of the challenges that a lack of safety and security in the city has created. Of the respondents, 100% said Dublin is less safe today than it was pre-pandemic. Some had faced break-ins and theft and many said their staff were routinely threatened and do not feel safe at work. Customers have admitted to businesses that they feel less safe entering the city in recent times, particularly at night. The idea that customers are being discouraged from visiting Dublin city hospitality businesses like restaurants and pubs correlates with polling that we conducted by Red C in July. That research found that only 20% of all adults believe safety and security in Dublin city is good during the day, while only 7% said the same for night time. The current situation is not only making Irish consumers less likely to support local businesses in Dublin city but it also affects tourists. Immense damage was done to our tourism and hospitality industry and offering when the attack on a US tourist during the summer time was reported around the world. That particular case also resulted in a warning from the US embassy to visitors about several safety concerns they should watch out for in Dublin.

With locals and tourists alike discouraged from visiting Dublin city and its hospitality businesses, it is clear what is needed now is not a debate on whether the capital city has a street crime and antisocial behaviour problem, because it does. Instead, we need to talk about how our approach can be reformed to bring about more improvements. Our members suggest three primary areas for reform. More resources are needed. We need to increase Garda visibility on the streets. We welcome the €10 million provided by the Government for extra resources. There is no better deterrent to crime than the possibility of a garda being in the area to issue an arrest. We should be aiming for Dublin city to have one of the highest police per head of population ratios compared with any other European capital city. The figure currently stands at just 255 gardaí per 100,000 population in Dublin. We need a zero-tolerance approach towards the public sale and consumption of illegal drugs. We also need to review the efficacy of the proliferation of drug treatment centres and in the future of medically supervised injection facilities in the city. A forum between the relevant bodies and local businesses should be created in any area where these facilities are provided. Finally, well-documented taxi shortages and lack of reliable public transport options, particularly at peak times, mean staff and customers have to spend longer in the city than they need to. We should urgently look at ways to increase the number of options available to those visiting city centre restaurants and pubs, to get to the city and home safely.

These are some of the proposals that RAI members have put forward for improving the safety and viability of our city. I look forward to discussing them and other ways with the committee.