Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

People will have been concerned to learn that the assistant commissioner of the Dublin metropolitan region, Pat Leahy, has advised that no overtime is to be incurred other than in respect of Operation C-Port and Operation Hybrid. In his instruction, he declared in very stark language:

No other overtime is authorised and any operations intended on an overtime basis are hereby cancelled ... The Garda Budget for 2017 has been exhausted. All other operations, events, searches, arrest etc for the remainder of 2017, will be performed by the working units.

The Taoiseach might enlighten me on what the reference to "working units" means for policing capacity. Other Garda communications have referred to decommissioning burglary response units and reducing mobile patrols. The only people in the country who could possibly be pleased with this are criminals. Why incentivise them at this juncture?

According to the Garda Representative Association, it is simply not possible to police the State without overtime. The association has suggested that thefts and burglaries will increase over Christmas. It is worried that the cancellation of Garda overtime could have major implications for local feuds in Blanchardstown and Finglas, for security operations involving cash-in-transit escorts and retail takings and for public order and roads policing. Will we have enough gardaí to police the severe traffic congestion that is expected over the next six weeks and the drink-driving campaign? Why have drink-driving laws if we will not have gardaí to enforce them over the crucial Christmas period? We are getting reports that similar overtime bans are now being applied in Galway and Cork.

Can the Taoiseach explain how we have reached a point at which an assistant commissioner would issue a direction of this nature? I understand that the Select Committee on Justice and Equality will meet tomorrow to consider a Supplementary Estimate of €130 million.

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