Dáil debates

Wednesday, 29 May 2019

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Garda Resources

2:25 pm

Photo of John CurranJohn Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The issue I wish to raise with the Minister relates to policing and the Garda resources deployed in Rathcoole, County Dublin. I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing this debate. I specifically thank the Minister for his attendance to take this matter. This is not an area I raise often but there is a particular issue and it is important that it is addressed specifically.

In a response to a similar question a year ago, the Minister stated:

The Government is committed to ensuring strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime. To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress in achieving this goal.

The Minister highlighted in the Dáil this morning the fact that there are now more than 14,000 gardaí. In all the stations in my constituency I am seeing the benefit of that but I am not seeing it in Rathcoole Garda station. I want to put some figures on the record. Often when I get replies they contain global figures referring to the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR and so forth. I want to compare two stations that are side by side. At the end of December 2012, there were 26 gardaí in Rathcoole and 95 in Clondalkin. Admittedly the Garda College in Templemore was closed and the number of gardaí fell, and that is reflected in what happened in the coming years. At the end of 2013 the number of gardaí in Rathcoole dropped to 23 and to 91 in Clondalkin. At the end of 2014, the number of gardaí in Rathcoole stood at 23 and there was a further drop in the number in Clondalkin to 89. At the end of 2015, the number in Rathcoole stood at 21 and the number in Clondalkin was 87.

At the end of 2015, there was a change, and we see the Garda numbers in Clondalkin increase. At the end of 2016, Garda numbers in Clondalkin increased to 94 but those in Rathcoole continued to decline to 19. At the end of 2017, Garda numbers in Clondalkin further increased to 97 and Rathcoole further declined to 14. This year, on the last date that I checked, there were 105 gardaí in Clondalkin and 14 in Rathcoole. As we are seeing Garda numbers increase, we are not seeing them going back to Rathcoole Garda station. At the end of 2012, we had twice as many gardaí in Rathcoole as we have today. The area has grown significantly in population. It is not a village. Policed from Rathcoole are Rathcoole, Newcastle, Saggart and Citywest. The area has increased in terms of population, retail and industry. In the rural parts of the constituency, around Redgap, etc., people feel insecure in their own homes.

There is a Garda station in Rathcoole and it is manned part time. The number of hours it is open, whether 10 a.m. to 12 noon or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., is subject to a garda being available. It does not always open on those hours. With 13 or 14 gardaí in Rathcoole, there are units of two or three. If somebody is on holidays or sick, these are not efficient and effective units. There are simply not enough gardaí based in the Rathcoole area to deliver the type of policing service that the Minister stated he wanted, that is, "to ensure a strong and visible police presence throughout the country ...". That is not happening in Rathcoole.

At a time of restoration of numbers - I gave the Minister the Clondalkin numbers in parallel - it is the same in Lucan and in Ronanstown but Rathcoole has been in constant decline since 2012. The population, economic activity, retail and industry have grown but we are seeing a decline in numbers. The service is insufficient and unsatisfactory for the population that currently resides there.

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