Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last Saturday evening in the town of Kincasslagh in County Donegal, which is probably best known throughout the country for being the home town of Daniel O'Donnell, over 200 local residents turned up for a public meeting. It was a meeting to voice their concerns about the ongoing and escalating anti-social behaviour and criminal activity occurring in the area. This activity culminated in a recent unprovoked petrol bomb attack on a car outside the home of an elderly lady and her daughter. Unfortunately, due to family commitments, I was unable to attend the meeting. However, I have spoken to many people from that area and I can tell the Minister that there is a real sense of fear, shock and concern in the area, particularly on the part of the elderly community. These are people who are genuinely frightened by the increase in crime and the lack of Garda presence in rural areas.

Nobody expects a garda to stand on every street corner to catch the culprits intent on pursuing a path of crime. Nevertheless, there is a growing fear that the Garda at current resource levels is not in a position to provide effective policing for rural areas. On the night of the petrol bombing, I am informed that it was two hours after the initial call that the Garda patrol car arrived on the scene of the attack. Meanwhile, we know that crime is on the increase. According to the latest CSO crime statistics, there was an 18.3% increase in burglaries in the northern region, which includes Donegal, in the year up to June 2012. Hardly a week goes by without my hearing about another attack on a home, business or community across County Donegal, either directly through my constituency office or through the media. In particular, older people feel increasingly vulnerable in their homes and I am sure this is not unique to Donegal. These people must be reassured that the gardaí are present in the community and that they can help protect them.

Instead of providing the necessary resources to tackle the issues effectively, this and the previous Government have in successive budgets depleted the resources of the Garda. They have stripped the resources bare to a point where the Garda cannot fulfil the demands of the community. This year, the Minister oversaw the closure of 39 Garda stations, three of which were in my county - Culdaff, Doochary and Dunkineely. They were all closed on the Minister's watch. There are reports that another 96 stations may be considered for closure. The Minister has already informed us that the draft policing plan for 2013 is likely to contain further proposals for rationalisation of Garda stations and districts. An example is the threatened removal of the Glenties district headquarters, which could see the redeployment of up to 30 to 40 full-time gardaí from west Donegal, further highlighting the concerns of the people in this area.

If the Minister was to put it into context, we know that crime is on the increase in these areas. One does not need reports; one only needs to live in the area to know it is happening, yet from 2008 to this year, Donegal saw a reduction of 52 Garda personnel. I know it was not done solely on the Minister's watch as Fianna Fáil oversaw most of it. The county has seen a reduction in Garda numbers from 488 in 2008 to 436 today. Unfortunately, that trajectory is continuing and we are at breaking point. It is not good enough that it takes two hours for Garda personnel in a patrol car to arrive in a rural area where a car has been petrol bombed by criminals in that area, putting the lives of the individuals inside the adjoining house in jeopardy. What assessment does the Minister and the Garda Commissioner make of rural areas and their policing needs when making decisions to close down stations and reduce Garda numbers in these areas?

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