Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State will be aware of an open letter sent from the people of Longford to the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner, Mr. Drew Harris, urgently seeking additional gardaí for Longford town to tackle a spate of antisocial and violent crime. It is well known that as many as 14 different feuds, involving seven families, are smearing Longford's reputation and propelling us in the media as an area rife for antisocial and violent behaviour. Longford has been selected as one of the three national pilot schemes for the local community safety partnership. As part of the engagement process, the Minister sat in on a recent session of Comhairle na nÓg in Longford town, at which she heard at first hand young people speak of their fear on the streets of Longford.

Community policing needs resources, and when we do it right, it can be very effective. We have an excellent drugs unit in the Longford-Roscommon district and one of the top-performing community policing units in Longford town, ably led by Sergeant Darren Conlon, but to maintain that level of visible policing we need personnel. It takes a minimum of three officers to staff the station, and more if there are prisoners on site. The latest figures suggest the total complement of officers for Longford town is 77 gardaí, with a further 62 throughout the county. However, as of the end of February, at least 22 of these officers were unavailable for duty, through either secondment to other duties or districts, absence due to injury or illness or being on restricted duty. At best, Longford Garda station is struggling to operate, with at least one in five of its allotted officers absent, and this is before it makes provision for court duties and other operations. It is simply impossible to meet the demands now facing this busy station.

The Minister met Superintendent Séamus Boyle and other senior officers on her recent visit, and as one they spoke to the urgent need for more gardaí for Longford town. The population of the town is approximately 12,000, yet in recent weeks an additional six gardaí were allocated to the leafy suburb of Malahide, which has a population of 4,000 and very few of the socioeconomic challenges facing us in Longford. Garda management is reviewing its options for Longford and, based on the Malahide numbers, one would expect an additional five or six officers for Longford. That, in turn, presents us with an opportunity to bring in experienced officers, several of whom are currently based in Dublin and are very adept at dealing with the issues and challenges that now confront Longford. They are willing and eager to relocate to Longford and will bring with them much-needed experience and know-how as we face the malaise that is afflicting our town.

We hear much criticism of the courts in the context of the challenges facing Longford. There is sufficient legislation on the Statute Book to tackle these challenges, but what we need is a strict and near-militant interpretation of the bail laws. Bail is not a get-out-of-jail card but rather a privilege afforded to some while they await a court date. It comes with strict conditions, which can include the need to sign on daily at the local Garda station or to stay out a given town, non-association with named individuals, curfews, social media bans and, indeed, anything a garda considers necessary in the interests of public safety. Most judges will approve these terms and others if the case is set out for them. We need to start fully implementing the terms of the Bail Act. At any time, 50 to 70 people are on bail in Longford town. It is a major Garda operation in itself to police the conditions of these bail terms and it demands time and resources, but when done meticulously it can be a very effective deterrent.

In short, we need more gardaí for Longford town, visible on-street policing and a meticulous governing of the bail conditions in Longford town.

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