Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand that but I turn to another side of this, which is the issue of people's trust in An Garda Síochána and trust that they will get a response when they look for one. I think of the incidents of assault we have seen recently. I am conscious of the case of Alanna Quinn Idris in Ballyfermot, which was probably one of the most extreme cases we have seen recently. There have been others in a similar vein. Many people, particularly those in urban areas, tell me there is great fear out there and that when they ring 999 they do not get an answer. That is, I think, one of the issues that has really frightened many people on another side of this issue. We know now, from some of the research that has been done, of a number of cases. In one case a woman was raped and was afraid the rapist would come back. She rang 999 and got no response. The seriousness of that incident and others like it is really damaging to people's confidence in An Garda Síochána and their confidence that the justice system will respond and work for them. There is a big job of work to be done to restore that confidence and to ensure not only that people will get responses to 999 calls but also that they feel that the Garda will be there for them when they need it and that they are not just an emergency service but a service to protect them all the time.

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