Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to speak on the Bill, which my party will broadly support insofar as it seeks to establish more and greater accountability in policing. We will propose amendments in the future.

The Bill sets out to achieve clear and effective oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána. Sinn Féin welcomes this. It is clear that policing reform in this jurisdiction is needed and long overdue. I would like to see developments in transparency and accountability taking place here similar to those that took place in the Six Counties following the Patten report. Every modern country needs a modern police force whose work mirrors its standards and aspirations. It is only when policing is done transparently and with accountability that the necessary public trust can follow. This is vital in every modern democracy in the operation of law and order.

Our gardaí deserve much more support than they seem to be getting from this Government, which talks law and order but is not delivering enough in terms of supports, resources and personnel. I speak as the daughter of a garda. No matter his rank when he retired, my dad was always just like those ordinary gardaí on the front line serving their communities. My father loved his work and the communities he worked for. I grew up being really proud of my father's job. He and my uncle Morgan called it "the job". I remember only once being really worried about him when he was out of work, which was the day of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. I remember sitting on a pillar swinging my legs as I waited for him to come home, unlike the 33 people who lost their lives that day. I was only ten years old at the time. It does not bear thinking about to imagine what the children of members of An Garda Síochána worry about when their mammies and daddies go out to work.

This brings me to the contemptible shooting of Detective Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh, County Tyrone, in front of his son yesterday. This is an attack on the young people he was coaching in football. It is an attack on his young family and on the whole community of Omagh, where a PSNI officer, Ronan Kerr, was murdered in 2011. It is utterly reprehensible. I do not know the full extent of Mr. Caldwell's injuries but they are very serious. I wish him a speedy recovery and send my solidarity to his son and family, and the whole community.

With the rise in blatant hostility towards our gardaí and the violent and thuggish behaviour they face, we must acknowledge that we have a real crisis on our hands. In this State, gardaí face increasingly violent and thuggish attacks. One recent incident was life-changing and in another incident this week a garda was struck in the face with a bottle. Morale in the force is at an all-time low. I note the Minister will meet Garda representatives this week. I hope he will listen to them because nobody knows what ordinary rank-and-file gardaí need more than their representatives do.

We support, broadly and in principle, the Bill before us. If the people decide, as I hope they will, that Sinn Féin will be in government after the next election, we will be able to show them that we value our gardaí in more than just words.

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