Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the launch of Doon Community Alert in Limerick last night, there was also a lot of discussion about the fact that Doon Garda station had been closed as part of the closure of 139 Garda stations. Unfortunately, the Minister and I will not agree about the Government's policy of closing Garda stations and we have debated this issue on many occasions in this House and beyond. I will raise an issue I have raised previously. Given that An Garda Síochána was to have carried out a review after the closure of Garda stations, a review that has not taken place, does the Minister not consider it would be proper and appropriate for the Garda Síochána Inspectorate to examine the remaining Garda stations that have not been sold into private ownership to discover the impact of the closure of these stations on the communities like Doon that now find themselves without a Garda station? This issue was raised last night. Will the Minister agree to ask the Garda Síochána Inspectorate to do this?

Text alert is a huge success and it was great to see the launch last night in Doon. Does the Minister not think we should have a national directorate with the funding to co-ordinate organisations like Muintir na Tíre; the IFA, which now has a dedicated crime prevention officer; and the various community and text alert groups throughout the country to give them national co-ordination?

Could the Minister comment on a Bill I published last week? It would require the National Roads Authority, which is now known as Transport Ireland, to put cameras on exits and entries to motorways as an added facet in protecting communities from roving gangs who are using the motorway network.

See this speech in context