Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Studies on crime levels in different areas are very important. All the wisdom relating to modern policing both in the US and Europe is that it is critical to get police officers out on the front line and Operation Fiacla is a very good example of that. Where it has been operating around the country, it is taking into account changes in crime patterns brought about by additional mobility due in many cases to the upgrade in the roads network. That is something with which we must deal. The Garda Commissioner and management are working on a programme and plan to make for more efficient policing for the 21st century. That seems to be what Sinn Féin is supporting the PSNI to do in the North but it always seems to have a two-faced response in respect of this - one that looks North and the other that looks South. I am asking Deputy McDonald to compare and contrast what happens in both areas.

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