Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

Honesty and integrity in policing are essential. The Minister should listen to the people more often, rather than basing his policies on hearsay. I want him to be professional and objective when dealing with issues. I feel uncomfortable when a Minister or senior Garda figure says they think they know who perpetrated a crime. I have questions about such statements. I question the integrity and professionalism of such an approach.

I commend the many gardaí who do valuable work and provide many examples of good practice. I have seen many examples of good practice in my constituency over the years. However, we should not be afraid to say in the House that there have been many examples of bad practice. I commend those gardaí who are focused on their job and are not distracted by other issues, such as the possibility of double-jobbing. We should not be afraid to refer to such practices.

I would like to raise with the Minister a number of issues which arose in my constituency in the last week. Two people armed with a knife and a gun entered a shop in the area last Saturday and stole €6,000. The shopkeeper, who worked her way up from being a shop assistant to running the business after she bought it out, is trying to decide whether to continue to run the business in the face of such intimidation and fear. I have reassured her that she should not give up and advised her to stick with it, but it is difficult for her to be confident. She needs the support of the gardaí on the ground.

I would like to mention another case, which highlights the fact that some people in society are treated differently from others. I refer to the case of the mother of a gentle drug addict who was murdered. She was told the day after the trial that the case was coming up. Such treatment is not acceptable. It would not have happened on the south side of Dublin, where the relevant authorities would have kept in touch with the family and informed it of developments. I recently dealt with the case of a man whose young daughter was slashed in the face with a glass in a pub. Those who were responsible got away scot free because of fear and intimidation. Such issues need to be highlighted.

See this speech in context