Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

In County Mayo, people are becoming more aware of the reduction in Garda numbers based in small rural stations. From speaking to people locally, I note gardaí are being drafted from the smaller rural stations into the larger urban centres in County Mayo. This does not go down well with the people of Mayo. As taxpayers, we deserve and have the right to the resources necessary to ensure the proper provision of a police service. I pay tribute to the gardaí in County Mayo who do a splendid job under trying circumstances. Demands are increasing on the Garda due to the growing problems in the larger urban centres. However, there is a case for supporting policing in rural areas. It goes back to the debate on balanced regional envelopment and stemming the drift of people away from rural areas into large urban centres. The onus is on the Minister to support rural policing.

Some 26 years ago, when I first moved to Mulranny, the local garda lived in the village, ensuring a Garda presence day and night there. This has been replaced with the "man-in-the-door", an intercom system, linked to a Garda station in Westport which one must use to make a complaint. Very often gardaí are not available and, from making inquiries on the matter, it is obvious the force is not there on the ground. We can never underestimate the value of having a garda on the street, where he or she has the opportunity to meet the community, be seen as part of its everyday life and as being available for whatever situation arises. The garda on the street can predict situations before they arise and play a preventative role that may avoid individuals receiving criminal records. The garda on the street will know the young people in the community, allowing him or her to have a quiet word with parents, publicans or other parties to prevent misdemeanours. This is a valuable asset to any community, particularly in a rural area. It is a slippery slope when gardaí are taken away from rural areas because there is less crime there than in urban areas. In time rural areas will be left without a proper Garda presence, resulting in an increase in crime levels for which society will be the loser. There is a great onus on the Minister to ensure resources are provided for rural areas.

Considering the shortage of gardaí on the beat, I tabled a parliamentary question on the number of gardaí deployed on desk and other administrative duties. I asked if, due to the nature of this work, a major part of it could be done by non-Garda personnel to allow more gardaí to be at the coal face. The Minister replied that the Garda authorities, responsible for the detailed allocation of resources including personnel, stated 373 gardaí were employed in administrative posts. These 373 gardaí should be on the beat. The Minister could not give me a breakdown of the age profile of these gardaí as it would take up many resources. I argue this would be a good use of resources. If more gardaí could be on the beat rather than pen-pushing, communities would be all the richer. Deputy Gregory, speaking on his experience in inner city Dublin, also pointed to the lack of gardaí on the beat. The Minister must address this issue.

I accept the Government approved the civilianisation of administrative posts in the Garda on a phased basis. It includes administrative posts at headquarters, branches in the various offices, locations, divisions and districts and the transfer of finance functions from Garda district clerks to civilians and the subsequent upgrading of the new civilian role to staff officer. However, there is a need for the Minister to follow up his proposal to increase the strength of the Garda force to 14,000 members. While he claims this will happen on a phased basis, the problems on the ground continue, becoming greater every day.

It is important that people see the Garda as a force to which they can relate and part of community life. Its members should be seen to be individuals with whom people can have a quiet word rather than someone who is just there in emergencies. This gives the wrong impression. Young people will get up to all sorts of devilment, as we all did in our time. However, if there is someone to guide us on the right road, we have much better chance of coming out better. People speak of the social aspects of crime and the effects of living in an area with high crime levels. If the supports are not available for communities, whether it be community centres, youth workers or the friendly garda on the beat, young people have less of a chance. Getting the Garda to be part of the community is essential.

The Army and gardaí provide security for the transport of cash by security companies on behalf of the banks. The banks appear to be unable to police this themselves. Previously, I asked the Minister if this should be 100% funded by the banks. That appears to be happening now and I welcome it.

Given the availability of modern technology, particularly GPS to track vehicles, the recent robbery of the security vehicle should not have occurred. A simple GPS tracking device would have ensured the people driving the vehicle would not have stopped for coffee because it would have been known at the base and they would not get away with it. There has been sloppiness in the system for a long time but for as long as the Government is paying a large part of the bill it will continue. There are also money marking devices available, such as explosive pellets which will explode if a security box is opened.

The practice of the Garda and the Army supporting the security of the banking institutions should be self-financing and the Minister must ensure this. There are problems in the community and it is unacceptable that resources are used in this manner. When resources are finite or scarce, those that are available should be used effectively. Gardaí pushing pens at a desk or supporting the security of rich banks, which should provide their own security, is a waste of resources and must be changed.

I welcome the Bill. A measure that consolidates and modernises legislation is welcome. Legislation in this area dates back to 1924. The objective of the Bill is to support the efficient and effective operation and administration of a modern police force. It is important the Garda is supported. The Bill will ensure a good relationship between the Garda Síochána, the Government and the Oireachtas, which is welcome. It also provides for appropriate independent inspection and complaints investigation mechanisms which will command and maintain the confidence and respect of the public and members of the Garda Síochána, which is most important.

The Garda Síochána provides a good service. Gardaí are regularly on the front line without the resources to do their job adequately. What is the rate of "blue 'flu" or sick leave among gardaí? It must be quite high in areas where resources are scarce and where gardaí are under great pressure, are assaulted and are going on duty in fear for their lives. This is a major problem. If resources are being denied to the force and it leads to a greater incidence of sick leave absence and people leaving the force prematurely, it is a waste of resources equal to that of having gardaí on pen pushing duties or engaged in guarding the banks, which can well afford to do it themselves.

We must support the gardaí in doing their job. Gardaí were demoralised by the situation in Donegal. The report of the Morris inquiry made for forceful reading and exposed a new dimension of the situation. The need for an independent complaints procedure, whereby gardaí are not judging gardaí is a fundamental requirement. I welcome its introduction in the Bill.

There would be greater respect for the law and law enforcement if the system was seen to be fair. The Minister should consider instituting a twilight zone, as it were, whereby somebody who is one or two kilometres above the speed limit would not get the same penalty points as somebody who is greatly above the limit. In such situations a driver might be trying to stay within the limit but errs by being slightly over it. A twilight zone would bring fairness to the system.

There is also a problem with parking meters. When the concept of maintaining clearways is seen as a money making venture rather than as a means of promoting traffic flow, it gives people a different perspective. There should be a sense of fairness. When laws are not working or are not being enforced, people will take advantage of that.

With regard to the problem of people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, if parents can test their children for drugs there is no reason that such a facility should not be available to gardaí. Young people now feel they can drive with abandon under the influence of cannabis or some other drug aside from alcohol because they believe they will escape detection. The Minister should address this issue.

The concept of community policing and involving gardaí in the community is extremely important and I welcome any move to implement it. Involving elected representatives in policing is also important. I welcome the fact that there will be meetings between local gardaí and public or community representatives at local level.

There is a problem with alcohol and off-licences. People are adopting continental habits whereby they are more inclined to drink at home. Off-licences are thriving but pubs, as a result of hidden charges such as insurance costs and the like, are finding it hard to make ends meet. On previous occasions I have suggested the use of a barcode whereby the supplier of a product could be traced. If somebody purchases alcohol for a young person, it could be traced back to him and he would have to account for supplying it. Youngsters getting alcohol, even directly, from off-licences is a serious problem but the alcohol could be traced by using a barcode. I understand there is provision for such a system in the legislation but it is not being enforced. It should be enforced.

The Government wrings its hands and speaks about what can be done to stop the abuse of alcohol. One action that could be taken is a ban on advertising alcohol but the Government has taken a soft approach on this, which is probably for revenue reasons.

The problem of road deaths must be confronted. Many of them are caused by speeding. If there was an element of fairness in the law, people would be more compliant with it. The problem of people driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs must be examined. The incidence of people driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol is underestimated. The Minister should consider conducting an audit to determine the actual number of such incidents, particularly among young people.

The Bill provides for many useful changes. We must ensure there is a proper standard of policing. This will only be done through the use of adequate resources, which has always been the problem. The Government acts in a reactive fashion. When there was a spate of robberies of older people, steps were taken such as placing a Garda checkpoint on the Shannon, which did not make a big difference. Once the crisis is over, the resources just seem to disappear. It is important that we support the Garda by providing the adequate resources they need. There is great pressure on gardaí to have a certain number of prosecutions, which cannot be right. This should not be about prosecutions, but about people abiding by the law in their own interest. The laws are made in the Oireachtas and gardaí enforce them. The idea should not be to catch people out, but to uphold the law.

Whether people live in urban or rural areas, they deserve a certain minimum standard of policing. For that to happen, adequate resources need to be put in place.

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