Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The message we want to get across to the Minister of State this evening is that the Government needs to wake up to the fact that crime in Dublin is a serious and growing problem. We have known for many years, unfortunately, that we have a problem in Dublin in respect of gangland crime. That is being dealt with by An Garda Síochána as best it can, provided it is given the resources, but the Government needs to wake up to the fact that what would be called middle of the road crime in terms of burglaries, thefts and attacks on the individual is growing.

To deal with one particular sector of our economy, the Irish Pharmacy Union recently did a survey on pharmacists and how they have been subjected and targeted in terms of crime. The survey found that 79% of pharmacies have been the victims of crime. On Pearse Street recently, in my constituency, pharmacies have been targeted. It is unacceptable that people who are in business, and most of them are sole practitioners trying to do a decent job, cannot rely on the fact that there are Garda resources out on the street to protect them. We know we will never resolve these criminal problems fully but the most effective way of dealing with them is to have a strong policing presence on the ground. One does not need to be a famous criminologist to realise that that provides confidence to the people in the community and a deterrent value to individuals who are thinking of getting involved in crime. If we could have more gardaí on the street it would be very effective in deterring people who believe they are entitled to go into a premises and get away with any small criminal acts they do such as theft.

My colleagues mentioned burglaries. Burglaries are a huge issue throughout my constituency also. Another further deterrent for them is technology but also gardaí on the street. If one goes to any community in our country, the one response from victims of crime and people who believe they are threatened by crime is that they want to see a greater Garda presence. Unfortunately, when we look at the figures for the gardaí who are present in Dublin, we see there has been a significant drop since 2010. In 2010, the number of Garda members in the Garda divisions was 4,160. By 2016, that number had dropped to 3,516. The Government may legitimately say that was because of the economic decline but that does not explain the fact that in the past year, the number of gardaí in Dublin has gone down to 3,409, a drop of 100 members of An Garda Síochána.

What the figures indicate is that this Government does not take seriously the problem of crime in Dublin. We know it will intervene on operational matters in respect of An Garda Síochána where it suits the interests of perhaps a member of Cabinet. We saw that when it came to Stepaside Garda station. If the Government is able to do it in respect of opening a Garda station, it should be able to do the same to ensure there are more gardaí on the street. I ask the Government and the Minister for Justice and Equality to take this issue more seriously to ensure that Dublin is properly protected.

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