Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In regard to the attack on Jonny Cooper at the weekend, to which I presume the Deputy was referring, I offer Mr. Cooper and his family the sincere sympathies of the House. It seems to have been a particularly horrific attack.

I was surprised, when the Deputy referenced Dublin city, that he was not aware of the complete overhaul taking place on both sides of the city centre over a protracted period to get gardaí back on the beat in the city centre and residential areas between the canals. This initiative has been hugely successful. If the Deputy takes the trouble to speak to the gardaí who visit communities, streets and individual houses, he will find that both gardaí and local people have praised the initiative. I understand the results are being constantly evaluated so that lessons may be learned from what has happened. I do not know if the Deputy has heard of the initiative but it has certainly resulted in a significant activation of gardaí, particularly at street level, on the basis he appears to wish to seek. I would expect him to congratulate the Garda management on this initiative. Yesterday morning I spoke with a number of gardaí at a function in the docklands about their experience of the initiative. They spoke about how well it is proceeding in terms of co-operation with local communities of the kind that the Deputy describes as desirable.

The CSO crime statistics that were recently released do not reveal any dramatic changes. However, any crime that happens to an individual is traumatic. Anybody who is subject to a burglary or any other type of crime finds it a traumatic experience. The Deputy will be aware that the process for recruiting new gardaí and reopening Templemore has commenced. The issue of Garda numbers has been addressed by this Government. I am, therefore, slightly at a loss to understand the Deputy's description of the matter in light of the current figures. Any crime is of huge significance to the individuals, families, streets and communities concerned but the CSO crime statistics do not indicate major change. He appears to be completely unaware of the initiatives that Garda management has taken to put gardaí on the street and to connect to individuals and local communities.

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