Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the measures outlined by the Minister that are to be taken. There is certainly a need for extra vehicles and it is welcome that 550 new recruits have started their training. It is important that these measures continu on a rolling basis until we get numbers up, but that alone will not bring about a solution.

The other part of policing is legislation. The legislation being brought forward on repeat offenders is obviously a positive move. We have seen the statistics and a relatively small cohort is creating most of the mayhem and havoc, terrorising people in their homes. I emphasise that we can recruit as many gardaí as we like, but unless they are out on the ground it is no use. I know there are specialist units working behind desks doing research or whatever and I understand the logic of that. However, the absence of gardaí on the ground in many counties is a huge problem.

The third strand concerns partnership with the community. Several community groups have already raised essential funding to erect cameras. Under the pilot scheme, one group in south County Laois has been given €50,000 to erect cameras. That group is located adjacent to a motorway as well. I am appealing for a more modest funding scheme for a number of groups that are adjacent to the motorway. There are a lot of groups which, if they got €10,000 funding, would be able to put up specialist cameras in conjunction with the gardaí. That certainly would be of great benefit.

I am asking that a scheme of grants be put in place for community alert schemes located adjacent to motorways, to help catch the criminals, to prevent crime and to strengthen partnership with local communities. That will be a missing piece of the jigsaw if we do not get it right. I understand the Minister for Justice and Equality cannot be here, but I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Gerald Nash, to bring back to her my suggestion of a scheme of modest grants for community alert schemes operating adjacent to the motorway corridors in Laois, Kildare and other such counties.

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