James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

I commend the bravery of Garda Paul Sherlock and wish him a speedy recovery. I am sure all in the House join me in that.

This debate has not been one of cross-party confrontation and I do not wish to make it so. We are all aware that we have serious crime and all parties want to see that addressed. We have had initiatives in various areas that have worked, including in the Minister's constituency a drugs hotline people can ring if they suspect drugs activity. This hotline is independent of the Garda, but feeds information to it. Many people are reluctant to ring the Garda because they feel they will be drawn into something into which they do not wish to be drawn. This hotline should be extended to north Dublin and the rest of the country.

In Balbriggan a juvenile was intimidated to the extent he was forced to take a three-month holiday down the country for his own protection. I am aware also of a person in north Dublin who started his drug habit when he was ten years old. As a result of these disturbing situations I have called for the establishment of a drugs squad for the north Fingal area, for Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, where we have had a number of drugs finds and drugs activity that has become a major problem which is of great concern to parents. I have called for the north Fingal area, Balbriggan and its environs, to be included in the Dublin metropolitan region and I look forward to an announcement on this which I have been told is imminent. It makes sense to have the same local and Garda authority from the point of view of by-laws etc.

In 1988 some 57 gardaí covered the areas of Balbriggan, Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Garristown, the Naul and Ballyboughal. In 1997 those numbers fell to 52 and in 2007 the numbers stand at 53. We have lost four gardaí in the past 20 years despite the fact the population has risen by 20%. What chance does the Garda have to police these areas successfully? It is seriously under-resourced. I do not want to be confrontational on this, but I urge that the population increase be matched by increased Garda numbers. There has been tremendous growth in north Dublin, but we have not been provided with the necessary infrastructure. The Government must deliver in this area. The local authority cannot build Garda stations and put gardaí on the streets. Neither can it build schools and staff them. I hope the Minister will take on board the need for the Government to take a line on this issue.

I am aware two excellent sniffer dogs are attached to Dublin airport in north County Dublin. These dogs reside in Skerries. If we had more dogs available to gardaí to take into public houses at weekends, we would pick up more drugs and possibly dissuade people from using them. Even middle class and professional people who abuse drugs support a dangerous industry.

Rush, Lusk and Skerries have three part-time Garda stations, while Donabate has none. Is it fair to the people of north Dublin that these towns and villages, with a population of 40,000, have only three part-time gardaí? It is not. That population is equivalent to that of Waterford. We need community gardaí on our streets, as mentioned by other speakers. I have fond memories of the garda in my area to whom people would go when in trouble. They went to him because they trusted and knew him and he knew them and their children. People knew that if they were out of order, they could not run away from it because he would be up to talk to them or their folks. This was not done in a threatening way but was a preventative measure and better than a cure. Visible policing through community gardaí or people in whom the public can trust is the most effective means of policing.

As a result of the significant level of small-time crime and misdemeanours in our communities we need a more flexible system than we have currently. I call on the Minister to initiate a public debate on the issue so that we no longer have a revolving door where people go to jail for a minor offence but do not complete their sentences. I hope the Minister will take this issue on board.

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