Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Relax, Pat. Over the seven years Fine Gael has been in government, it has presided over the decimation of An Garda Síochána, certainly in my area. Does the Minister of State remember smart policing, which was a policy of Government under his former colleague, Alan Shatter, who the Minister of State might also remember? It was not very smart for the communities out there. Repeat offending is an area in which the Government has abdicated its responsibility completely. Why have we had 15 gangland murders in this city in 27 months? The Government is asking gardaí in Dublin city and county to operate with one hand tied behind their backs. They are not being given the resources they deserve. They put their lives on the line for us but the Government does not prioritise Dublin.

I attended a meeting in Donabate this week, which was attended by more than 300 people. The population of Donabate and Portrane is over 11,000 but we have no gardaí there. It is also designated as an area for future growth. The population is crying out for a new Garda station, but there is no point having one if there are no gardaí to staff it. I ask the Minister of State to take seriously what Fianna Fáil in Dublin is saying, prioritise the DMR and ensure that, at the very least, we are not disproportionately impacted relative to other parts of the country, including, co-incidentally, the Minister's own constituency of Laois.

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