Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

During the time allocated to Private Members' Business, the Regional Group raised the issue of the crisis in An Garda Síochána. I also wish to tackle this issue. I held a public meeting in County Meath last week on the issue. It was packed, with standing room only. Of the many people who attended, there were ordinary people and workers in the community and the stories they told were incredible. The situations included where women working in shops and retail outlets were being threatened with rape or sexual assault if they went to the Garda to identify people stealing in those areas, as well as people afraid to walk to the shops and places of work, and only getting lifts to and from those locations.

It was also said that criminal gangs were undertaking slow-motion crime sprees through the towns, breaking into shop after shop over 90 minutes, with a real feeling of impunity and immunity against the Garda tackling them, or having the ability to tackle them, or even having to go to court. One of the things I could not believe, and one of the issues new to me, is that so many people were afraid to get involved in prosecutions against the criminals involved in this type of mayhem. This was because they felt they would expose themselves to further threats and difficulties in the future.

There was a sense that younger criminals, especially, felt they would never go to jail; that they could have multiple convictions - 20, 30 or 40 - and still not see any jail time at all.

There is no doubt in my mind that we have reached a tipping point in many villages, towns and cities in this country in terms of the level of crime and antisocial behaviour that is happening. The figures back this up. The incidence of rape and sexual assault has doubled in the past 15 years in this State. The murder rate has significantly increased this year. Violent crime is on the increase in towns and villages. This is happening because we have a Garda force that is on its knees at the moment. There is a direct correlation between the damage that is being done to the Garda and the increase in crime and antisocial behaviour that has been happening over the past number of years. I took no pleasure in saying to the Minister for Justice today that for every year she has been in office, there has been a decrease in the number of gardaí in the State. We currently have one of the lowest numbers of police per capitain Europe. Gardaí are being physically attacked in their hundreds every year. They are resigning and retiring in their hundreds every year. There has been a collapse in the number of new recruits coming into Templemore and a collapse in morale. The Government does not have their back. When will the Government have the back of gardaí on the beat and make sure they are protected from the level of assault they are receiving? Garda welfare is a key element of the issues gardaí have with the Minister for Justice at the moment.

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