Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have me. I am fortunate to live in a beautiful area in north Leitrim and to represent the beautiful constituency of Sligo-Leitrim North, which is mainly rural apart from Sligo town. Until ten or 15 years ago, in the wee town where I live almost every door was open and people could walk out and walk into a neighbour's house, sit down and have a cup of tea. Often, when people left their houses at night they would leave their doors open. It was marvellous. It was a lovely way to live. There was a certainty about life in rural Ireland until approximately 15 years ago. There was a sense of community and togetherness and several factors went into this. We had a rural economy for starters with small businesses in towns. People got by and were able to trade. They were able to keep the shops, post offices and pubs going. If people were lucky enough they might have a wee restaurant in the town as well. It was a lovely place to live. Our economy went south and the services in the towns and villages followed. I do not know which caused which; if the economy goes south it hits businesses and if businesses are hit it hits the economy. These two things happened over a very short timescale of approximately ten years.

Rural Ireland is now a colder place to live. From ten years ago when people could walk into a neighbour's house without knocking and put on the kettle for a cup of tea, we now have groups like Macra na Feirme embarking on campaigns such as know your neighbour day. Know your neighbour day in rural Ireland would have been unheard of just a short time ago. People knew their neighbours. People knew who they should call to and who might need help. Know your neighbour day would have seemed so alien in the rural Ireland of ten, 20 or 30 years ago. Not all change is improvement and it certainly is not for rural Ireland. I have not mentioned gardaí yet.

Another factor which has very badly hit rural areas is the loss of young people. It is a hugely critical factor. The fact a young person is not driving into the parents' or granny's house in the evening is so destabilising. It has caused so much damage in rural Ireland. In rural Ireland we now have middle-aged and older people, like myself, or very young children.

A whole generation has gone to Australia or America and there has been internal migration as well. When a young lad or lassie leaves Manorhamilton for Dublin, he or she will travel up and down for a few weekends but such people eventually play their football and hurling in Dublin and will be lost to the rural area of north Leitrim. That damages the sense of togetherness and certainty in rural areas.

We are killing rural areas through policy and neglect. I understand it is difficult to have jobs at every crossroads but the centralisation of jobs in the major urban centres must be accompanied by a policy ensuring that appropriate businesses will be supported, with positive discrimination for appropriate businesses in rural towns. I am not saying that every rural town should have a big Apple facility, with thousands of people working in it. However, if the grant assistance and tax concessions go to the major urban centres, it will kill the small towns in rural Ireland. We need to proof every policy, and not just industrial issues, for the impact, good or bad, on rural areas.

It is one thing to have post offices, shops and pubs closing, or only opening for a few hours per night because the owners cannot afford to stay open during the day, but the closure of the rural Garda stations was the final straw for some rural areas. The Garda station and its gardaí were more important than just being first responders in the event of a crime, although that is a very important role. They acted as a deterrent. People knew of a Garda station in an area, with the chance of a Garda car going by a house or keeping an eye out. For example, a garda might know that poor old Johnny down the road is vulnerable and keep an eye on him. That sense of deterrence is no longer there in rural communities. People had the sense that as long as the Garda station was there with gardaí in it, their interests were being watched over. It lent a sense of security and that somebody was protecting the people.

I know community organisations use text alert and have people visiting homes, meaning they can do a certain amount of excellent work. Nevertheless, communities were used to having a Garda presence in a station, so there is a major sense of loss. It does not take Einstein to figure out that as austerity increased, crimes such as theft and burglary also increased. If the heat is on in places like Dublin or Cork, thieves and burglars will head down the motorway and go to more vulnerable areas. I dare say that some burglars are looking at places where Garda stations are closing, and I would love to see some statistical analysis in that regard to determine if there has been an increase in burglary rates in the vicinity of closed Garda stations. I would be surprised if that was not the case. There was not a major saving to the Exchequer in closing the Garda stations.

We have seen small savings for the Exchequer and an increase in opportunities for criminal activity, which in turn has increased fear and uncertainty while destroying the sense of comfort that vulnerable people had, particularly in rural areas. It was too high a cost to pay for a small Exchequer saving. As always under austerity, it is the poor, lonely, isolated and vulnerable who are hurt most. We welcome this Bill but it does not begin to address the root cause of the levels of criminal activity and negative consequences of austerity.

My own beautiful constituency has suffered its own share of crime due to the closure of Garda stations. Today or yesterday, I read in the newspaper how a pub and shop business in a lovely place called Dromore West - it is a quiet and peaceful village - suffered a break-in, with a substantial amount of cash and cigarettes stolen. The nearest Garda station is now 30 miles away, and one would have lots of cigarettes and money taken from a place by the time a squad car would get there if the station is 30 miles away.

Is it any wonder that many older, vulnerable people living on their own are now going to bed with loaded shotguns? It is awful to see that and it should not happen in this country. We spent parts of the past two days here with the Government parties and Fianna Fáil trying to score cheap political points arising from the savage murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and others. Instead of debating bail laws, custody and sentencing, examining ways to better protect gardaí and the community or figuring out changes to make this country and its communities better for every vulnerable citizen and garda, we got jives, jeers, lies and politically inspired points scoring. That is no way to run a business or a country.

I would like this Bill to be seen as part of a process, with an urgent examination of the entire block of legislation that affects the security and comfort of people in this country. That would make a difference. Within five years, older, vulnerable people living on their own could then go to bed at night and have a sound sleep without having to bring a loaded shotgun with them.

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