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

It took two years for a community garda to be appointed in Finglas, and that individual has only recently been appointed. While I welcome the appointment, it is unacceptable that this should have happened.

It is also unacceptable that between 90 and 98 gardaí are in the Finglas area on three different shifts. In effect, there are only a certain number of gardaí on each shift. Unfortunately, when people ring the Garda station they are told that there are no cars available. This is happening all the time and it is unacceptable.

If the Garda Commissioner is listening, I would like him to look at the areas, but particularly the Finglas area I am dealing with now, compare what is being used in other parts of the country and the proportion of gardaí in other areas, and see whether there is a significant lack of gardaí in the Finglas area.

I am on the Finglas-Cabra drugs task force for more than 20 years. The amount of resources that are being put into that is unacceptable. There is not a regular top-up when it comes to resources for them. The same happens with the youth resource centre in The Den and the Finglas Youth Resource Centre in Finglas West. The resources are just not good enough. We need to look at all the resources across the board, including the Garda. It is not good enough.

I heard what the Minister said, and I am delighted, about the operation that took place in Finglas, but how many years has it taken to deal with this particular gang? This is going on years. While it is welcome, it should never have got to this stage where there was a headquarters in Finglas out of which these gangs operated. It is unacceptable.

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