Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I agree with most of what is contained in it except for the provision whereby a trainee garda may be called on to present in court. I do not agree with that. Any garda who does so must have experience in that field. That is my one concern. I welcome anything that will free up Garda resources. There are many areas around the country in which gardaí are needed but are being held up for days and weeks participating in court cases.

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Often court cases are suspended, when a few days were offered. That takes resources from our local communities. We must invest in the Garda and in technology for the force to combat the type of crime existing now. An Garda Síochána needs major investment in technology. The required technology is there but it is not being used. For our Garda services to be at their best, even though we have depleted numbers, there must be a great deal of investment in our Garda stations. Taking the example of Newcastle West in my own district of Limerick, for three years the Garda station was closed to allow for the building of a new one. Yet that Garda station has not been built. We do not have a headquarters in west Limerick. All I hear every time I mention this is that the matter is being looked into and someone will get back to us. It goes to show what types of things are happening. If it was in Dublin or Cork, that headquarters would have been built. When it is in west Limerick though, the Government seems to think we can wait for years to have this project completed. We all need our headquarters in our areas.

The Garda does a hard job. It is one I could not do myself. Gardaí leave their families and put their lives on the line. They do not know what they are going to face in any part of the day. Therefore, out of respect for the Garda and for the work the members of the force do, I thank them for everything they do in trying to keep us safe. Investment, though, must come from the Government. The Garda must be provided with the proper equipment, vehicles, technology and premises to allow the members of the force to carry out their work. They do fantastic work in communities. When we have enough gardaí to allow it, they engage with younger people. They try everything they can to help the younger generation growing up to ensure those young people can say a garda is a person you can turn to when in trouble or in need of help.

As I said, we have depleted numbers in An Garda Síochána. It is hoped those numbers will rise in the next couple of years. I believe 1,800 people were called for an interview. I think they are at No. 200 now in the context of the interviews. I welcome this. I also welcome people applying to go for an interview and wanting to join An Garda Síochána. There is no point in having a Garda service, however, if the investment is not there in the premises, the technology and the vehicles required. Equally, we also need numbers. Therefore, I welcome what is in the Bill. I do not agree with a requirement for a sergeant to be involved in this context. I do not believe it has to be a sergeant. A competent garda with experience would suffice, but not a trainee garda.

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