Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The shocking closure of addiction services such as St. Michael's ward in Beaumont Hospital and the services in Keltoi Rehabilitation Unit in the Phoenix Park is an absolute indictment. They were closed down in the middle of an epidemic.

The Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2021 is designed to correct potential anomalies resulting from a ruling of the Supreme Court on the sentencing of individuals to mandatory minimum sentences for a second or subsequent offence under the relevant legislation. Many of the mandatory sentences for violent offences and drugs offences that are being removed from the various Acts under this Bill were introduced as a consequence of the escalating criminal activity in communities, particularly with regard to drug dealing and the use of firearms. Such criminal activity, especially drug dealing, has become even more pervasive in today's society. In areas such as Ballymun and Finglas in my constituency of Dublin North-West, it is unfortunate that drugs have become more easily obtainable than ever. There also appears to be a corresponding decrease in police resources. A clear example is the significant decrease in the number of community gardaí not only in my area but in other areas across most of the country. In the Dublin metropolitan area north, which encompasses the greater part of my constituency, the number of community gardaí has gone from 86 in 2012 to 11 in 2020. It is a disgrace that an area with a population of over 90,000 has such limited Garda resources available.

Over the years there has been a massive increase in the number of properties in the area. Areas such as Ballymun, Finglas and Santry have experienced big increases in local populations due to large-scale construction of housing and apartment projects. Many more are in the pipeline. There are areas in the constituency where drug dealing and its related activities are commonplace. To combat this we need intelligence-driven police action, along with dedicated drug squads to target people dealing drugs. The illegal use of drugs is becoming a chronic problem across my constituency. The subject is constantly raised at drugs task force meetings, joint policing committees and local area safety forum meetings.

Figures for the last couple of years show that Ireland has one of the lowest police-to-population ratios in Europe, with 278 gardaí per 100,000 citizens. That is 40 fewer than the EU average. The population of Dublin North-West is becoming increasingly diverse and is growing rapidly. It is a constituency that experiences serious inequalities. The constituency has areas that are both socially and economically disadvantaged, where many people live with persistent poverty and social exclusion. Homelessness is a serious issue in the constituency as well. These factors affect and determine how policing in the community must operate, as well as the context in which policing generally operates. There is a perception among the public that judges are out of touch with the public. That is not helped by their refusal to attend safety forum meetings and joint policing committee meetings. They have refused numerous times to do that.

Hopefully, this Bill will address some of the anomalies pointed out by the Supreme Court. I would also like to think that judges would think very strongly about their general sentencing policies, because many people are of the opinion that the sentences in some cases are too lenient and do not fit the bill.

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