Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Monday afternoon, in broad daylight, there was another attack on Ballyfermot gardaí. This was the third such high-profile attack in the past few months. There have been others over the years. I wish the injured gardaí a speedy recovery. The attacks in no way represent the good people of Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard, who are as aghast as the rest of us over what occurred when a gang took over one of the busiest junctions in the area under the pretext of a funeral. Obviously, a family is grieving and obviously the friends of the deceased are hurting but that is no justification for the lawlessness captured on the footage, distributed on social media, of what happened in the vicinity of the church and schools locally. It is footage of criminal damage and the rallying of motorbikes in the flowerbeds of the roundabout. The galling attack on two gardaí who had gone to the aid of a woman who had been knocked over by one of the motorbikes was a big blow for us. It beggars belief; something has gone wrong.

The need for more gardaí and action against the lawlessness are obvious, but there is also a need for additional services and to address the underlying problems and issues that cause lawlessness of this scale in a community in a big city.

The problem is that there have been many promises, so communities feel let down. Only before Christmas, there was to be an implementation body to deliver change. What is the position on that? Where are the resources and the additional gardaí to ensure this activity does not happen again in an area that is already suffering from a lack of services and everything else? The area should not have to suffer from a lack of gardaí and no response to lawlessness.

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