Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

On the one hand he welcomed this with open arms because it meant a wholly different communications system, but on the other, he felt it was better with the old CB system because at least it could be used. How one gets credit into this communications system I do not know. For the sake of argument, if a garda was to apprehend a drug criminal and found he had no communication, he would have to rely on his own mobile phone. It is not acceptable that a member of the Garda Síochána has to use his or her own mobile phone to report to the Garda station, look for back-up or whatever, and pay his or her own bill in this regard at the end of the month. If the Minister shared that with his counterparts in other countries, I doubt if they would be impressed.

There is lack of confidence in the force among the public. I sent out a crime survey in recent months to 15,000 homes in County Wexford. There were 39 questions and I asked people to give their views on the Garda Síochána. I do not want to be parochial in saying Wexford needs more gardaí, which of course it does, but one question I asked was whether people believed the Garda Síochána had adequate resources to do the job. An astounding 85% said it does not. Off the top of my head I recall that between 75% and 80% said they do not report a crime because they believe it will not be properly investigated. I encourage people, no matter what is done to them, whether a window is broken or they are affected by anti-social behaviour, to report the matter to the local gardaí, at least. The Garda may not be able to make a visit or to solve the problem straight away. However, people should at least report the problem or crime because it is important that the Garda enters into the PULSE system the fact that Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Doyle or whoever contacted it. The PULSE system has really worked for the Garda Síochána in that gardaí are now able to enter a name into it to ascertain whether any criminal charges or reports are associated with it.

I will be parochial by raising the issue of rural Garda stations. This pertains to questions regarding local and community policing. When I was growing up, I could state that Garda stations in three or four parishes in my locality were open. At present, however, a station might be manned for one or two hours during the day, or every second, third or fourth day, which is unacceptable. When a local Garda station is open, it adds to public confidence in that people are aware that someone is present. Many rural Garda stations have been closed. Will the Minister outline whether he believes the new Garda Reserve could play a role in manning local Garda stations?

I come from an extremely rural and mountainous part of County Wexford in which several Garda stations have been closed. I ask the Minister to investigate whether the Garda Reserve can play a role in ensuring that rural Garda stations are manned. Even if this was only from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every evening or whatever, the Garda Reserve could play a significant role in maintaining local rural stations.

Deputy English spoke about reform for the sake of carrying out reform. In the aftermath of the events in County Donegal in particular, the Minister now has the perfect opportunity to carry out some real reforms. He will not be able to do so within one or two years as the process will take several years. However, it would mean something to people if he was to set in place a plan for the Garda Síochána spanning the next three to five years or whatever that would carry out some real reforms.

Deputy Costello discussed the training regime in Templemore. Although it is good to see the new additional gardaí coming on stream — I would like this to happen at a faster rate — the training of gardaí in Templemore must be examined. Members of the force who have been employed elsewhere for two to three years previously can learn what happens within communities and can learn people skills and so on. However, those trainees who go directly from secondary school to Templemore do not have the same skills as those who had mingled with local people in a job or whatever. People skills are important to the Garda Síochána and a garda who leaves Templemore with people skills will be extremely successful. Such officers will undoubtedly climb the ranks through sergeant, detective and all the way to assistant commissioner or commissioner because of the importance of people skills.

I omitted to mention the language barrier that has arisen in recent years with the welcome arrival of many people of European and other different nationalities. I was pleased to learn that people of different nationalities were to be brought into the force. Although I may have missed this development in recent months, when will it happen? I ask the Minister to address this issue in his closing remarks. What role will they play in the force? In coming years, they will play an important reforming role within the force.

I was delighted to speak in this debate and the Minister should take on board some of my comments.

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