Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too want to be associated with the comments on that retirement. I thank all the staff who look after us here on both sides of the building and around the building. They have always been more than helpful and courteous.

I am a big supporter of An Garda Síochána and community alert, and a big believer given my own village of Caisleán Nua na Súire had the second community alert group that was set up in this country. In that vein, I want to pay tribute to deceased Garda Sergeant Niall O'Halloran, who fought a huge battle with cancer and succumbed to it. His colleagues in the Garda and community groups are holding a fundraiser for the Limerick Hospice on Saturday, 2 October in honour of his name, and it might be an annual event. Niall was the essence of a community garda. He stood in people's kitchens and had the confidence of the people. To his wife Sandra, his son Richard and his family, some of whom are also in the Garda, and his dad was a former chief superintendent, we acknowledge it is a huge loss that we are struggling to fill.

Superintendent Denis Whelan left us yesterday to return to Enniscorthy in Wexford. He is a good Wicklow man, who did tremendous work in Cahir and Cashel in the last number of years. He has appointed Sergeant Ray Moloney, a Limerick man and an excellent community garda, to come into Ardfinnan and the Garda stations of Clogheen, Ballyporeen and that area, with some of his team, Garda Noel Glavin, Garda Judy Davern and Garda Jenny Gough. The community police came into their own during the lockdown. They really came into their own with their high visibility, and I had some days out with them, as did many councillors and others, visiting the people, who got to know the gardaí. We cannot buy that, and any money or PR would not buy that. People have confidence, they know them, they like to see the yellow jacket and so on. That old name that we used to have of informers should be long gone. I am glad that the link with the Royal Irish Constabulary is finished.

We need a community policing unit. This has proven its worth in Cahir. Thanks to Superintendent Whelan, we now have a roster for the times gardaí will be in the Garda barracks in Tigh na nDaoine in Newcastle and in the Garda barracks at Ardfinnan, Clogheen and Ballyporeen. After long negotiations, a decision has now been taken not to transfer Garda Philip Ryan and Garda Kieran O'Donovan out of Clogheen and Ballyporeen. The people are at ease with that and want to thank them for that. We cannot beat interaction.

I am not fully happy with this legislation because it diminishes Tipperary's status and diminishes the chief superintendent from Tipperary. Indeed, we probably have our last superintendent in Superintendent Derek Smart, and a good man he is, but the chief is now going to be based in County Clare. It is just madness. To go from Carrick-on-Suir right up to Clare means going through the division of Limerick to get to Clare. I do not think it is workable. I am not happy that the Garda Commissioner has not listened to us or engaged with us.

With regard to numbers, the community policing unit has been stood down in Clonmel because of the shortage of gardaí. Superintendent Leahy in Clonmel is chronically short of gardaí in what is the second biggest inland town in the country. There are huge issues with drug gangs. We have issues with Drogheda, Mullingar and other places, and we are going to have the same in Clonmel. Certain families are dealing in drugs and it is out of control. The bullying and intimidation of families when young people get into those drug issues is frightening. We have had suicides and families intimidated. We need support for our units there. We need more community gardaí and more in the drugs squad. The stations in Cahir and Cashel have diminished in numbers and probably 30 members have gone from there in the last number of years and were not replaced. We cannot police without those physical numbers but we also need to tackle these vagabonds and criminals who are destroying lives. There is no replacement for the Garda on the beat. There is no point being in an office and they must be out there on the roads.

I want to also pay tribute to a former colleague of mine, Councillor Martin Lonergan, who was national secretary of Muintir na Tíre and who, in that vein, was hugely supportive of community alert, given that all the activities of community alert and the Garda Síochána are linked intrinsically with Muintir na Tíre. I know Eddie Mason, Seán Byrne in Newcastle, Catherine Moran and all the others on the group in that area, including the Grange people, miss him because Martin did huge work for community alert, for his community and with the text alert. The text alert is great but, as someone said earlier, it is not a replacement for visible gardaí. We need that visibility.

In fairness to the gardaí in Clonmel, they are waiting for a Garda station. I think Seán Treacy, the former Deputy, raised it here 60 years ago. Now, we have the site, we have the planning permission and we have a wonderful design. They need that new building but this is bundled into a package with other places, and some have fallen off the list and some have not. The Garda station in Clonmel is in a Dickensian condition.

It is not fit for human habitation. There are issues with every kind of rodent and everything else in it. It is not fit for public use. We cannot wait to get that Garda station over the line. As I said, we must get it over the line.

I would like to be able to support this Bill, but with limited and proper amendments. Each county division should have its own chief superintendent. I am also very uneasy about the lack of superintendents going forward. There is a lot of work being delegated to inspectors. I do not have anything against inspectors but it is important for morale in the Garda to keep the superintendent rank.

There are issues in Limerick but there is no point in suspending gardaí for such a long time. Justice delayed is justice denied. As the Acting Chairperson, Deputy Cathal Crowe, said, what is going on in Limerick needs to be sorted out rather than have gardaí suspended when they are so scarce in our areas. If they are to be charged or investigated, that should be done swiftly. It is not fair to gardaí who are trying to give a service or their families.

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