Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My sympathy and the sympathy of the country is with the loved ones of Detective Garda Donohoe. I am also conscious that other members of the Defence Forces have lost their lives or been injured in the course of their duty. I am aware too that attacks are still being made on members of the Garda Síochána.

Speaking yesterday, the Tánaiste made a point about the nation's gratitude for the continued support of the Garda. The Minister for Justice and Equality himself said that we stand with An Garda Síochána at this very difficult time. I believe the obvious way to show our gratitude and stand with gardaí is to ensure they have adequate resources and enough personnel to do their work well. At the least, the numbers should not be allowed fall below the 13,000 recommended by the Garda Commissioner to do that work.

I wish to look back 15 years to the situation in Dublin's inner city and the fractured relationship that existed then between the communities and the Garda. There was no trust and the only communication was very negative. However, an excellent initiative was drawn up over 13 years ago to address that and build relations between gardaí, the local authority and the communities. This was the Community Policing Forum, which has a full-time co-ordinator and two other staff. This initiative has been very successful in building trust and relations with the Garda through the community police and there is active engagement between gardaí and people living in those inner city communities, who know too well the effects of gangland crime and the scourge of drugs.

Local people felt neglected by the authorities for a long time, but now through the co-ordinator they are comfortable sitting with gardaí. Trust has been built up and the gardaí talk with and work through issues with them. We have seen successes, whether with regard to drug seizures or the head shop issue. The Community Policing Forum in Dublin is unique. It has made presentations in other parts of Ireland, in Northern Ireland and at the Council of Europe. It is an example of best practice in collaborative work between the agencies to address the issues. It should be rolled out in other parts of the country.

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