Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Tánaiste is aware that many people are nervous to walk the streets of our towns and cities at night, and even during the day. Violent crime is a huge concern and the Government needs to show greater support to the Garda in tackling it. In recent weeks we have seen a number of high profile violent assaults. Such crimes appear to be occurring more frequently, in broad daylight as well as at night. An epidemic of knife attacks appears to exist in many parts of Dublin and many areas are becoming no-go areas. We woke up this morning to hear that a post mistress in Bayside was involved in a tiger kidnapping and the shooting dead of a person at a school in Balbriggan. People are worried and afraid to walk our streets. It appears the lack of Garda presence is feeding that frenzy.

The issue is not confined to Dublin. There was a massive meeting in Roscrea during the summer, where counterparts from Dublin and many small towns and villages expressed their fears and anxieties about the Government's policy for the availability of gardaí on our streets. A crisis is developing in Dublin whereby locals and tourists alike fear for their safety on our main streets. O'Connell Street, Grafton Street and other well known streets in Dublin and other towns unfortunately appear to be threatening nowadays. There is drug dealing at Luas stations. Dublin is fast getting a reputation for being a crime ridden city.

The lack of gardaí on the beat is cause for grave concern. The number of gardaí on our streets continues to decline. People need an assurance from Government in regard to how it will assist the Garda to confront crime ridden cities and towns throughout Ireland.

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