Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to focus on rural crime. It is important to remember that crime does not discriminate between urban and rural areas. It is also important that in discussing this issue we reflect on the worrying increase in crime in rural areas in recent years. There is a real sense of fear in communities where people are particularly vulnerable. The reality is that it is a result of cutbacks to Garda services and the closure of Garda stations. Criminals operating in areas where Garda stations have been closed know they have a free run due to the fact that there is little or no Garda presence. In my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, there is a part-time Garda service in some places and people get to know what time the Garda station is open. Criminals monitor the situation and that has an impact on the area. A part-time Garda service is often not enough.

In many cases, families or family-run businesses have been targeted on more than one occasion. We have seen four Garda stations close in the constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, all in rural areas. There was an armed robbery at the post office in one of the areas, Leighlinbridge, last weekend, which some Members might have heard about. That is the second attempted robbery on the post office in just two months; a similar incident took place on 1 March. There was a Garda station in Leighlinbridge but it closed in recent years. The post office was also robbed two years ago. That goes to show the knock-on effect of closing Garda stations and reducing Garda presence.

We went through recessionary times in the 1980s. I grew up in a very small town, Callan, where we had a very active Garda presence. Many rural areas used to have an active Garda presence. That is something we must consider resourcing because it pays dividends in the long run. The trauma and upset caused to the family that run the post office in Leighlinbridge is indescribable. On a daily basis they live in fear of a robbery happening again due to the lack of Garda presence in the area.

We must do much more to resource the community police force because they often have a very good relationship with local people in both urban and rural areas and they can deter much crime. It goes back to the old argument that prevention is better than cure. In many cases, if one can intervene early, in particular with young people who might be going down the wrong road, it can make a difference. Community policing is key in that regard but the service is completely overstretched at the moment. For example, there is one community police officer for Kilkenny. It is impossible for one person to cover the entire area. We must consider resourcing community policing but also resourcing the Garda in general and ensure that where Garda stations have closed the situation would be reversed because of the negative, knock-on effect on the entire community. It is very difficult to describe the fear in which people are living in very isolated rural areas, in particular among elderly people who have been targeted time and time again. Criminals know there is no garda around and they know that by the time a garda does arrive they will be long gone. We must bear that in mind. Crime is not just an urban issue. It is very much a rural issue as well. We must ensure the Garda is resourced to deal with crime on the one hand and, on the other, that we educate young people. The best way to do that is through community policing. Community police often have a very good relationship with particular sections of society and we must explore that approach more and put additional long-term resources into community policing.

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