Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Last week saw the conviction of Jozef Puska for the murder of Ashling Murphy. This horrific murder shocked the nation and our deepest sympathies and solidarity are with the Murphy family.

It is quite clear that we have reached a dangerous tipping point in terms of crime and antisocial behaviour in towns and villages across the country. In recent years under the Government, Ireland has become a more violent and dangerous place. The rates of rape and sexual assault have doubled in the past ten years and the murder rate is soaring. Thefts from people and vehicle theft have significantly increased, assaults and the obstruction of gardaí have increased, human trafficking has increased and harassment and stalking have increased. The spike in violent crime in towns has not happened by accident. One reason for this is that Garda numbers are at their lowest in five years. The number of rank-and-file gardaí is the lowest in six years. Right now, Ireland has one of the smallest police forces per capitain the whole EU. New data released to Aontú just this week by the Minister for Justice show that, so far this year, only 237 gardaí have been recruited. By comparison, over 600 were recruited in 2019. Four hundred and thirty-four gardaí retired so far this year, which again represents a significant increase on the number in 2019. Garda resignations are also increasing significantly. A garda told me that of the 25 people who left the force in October,13 resigned. This is startling. Resignations comprised the main cause of exit from the force last year. Gardaí are voting with their feet and leaving well before their retirement dates. It is incredible that, despite all the Government has said, the photo opportunities and images of the Minister for Justice walking the streets of Dublin with gardaí, the Garda force in this State is still shrinking. The bottom line is that under the Government, more gardaí are leaving the force than joining. Is it any wonder that the data given to me by the Minister last week show that, every day in Ireland, at least one Garda has been violently assaulted? So far this year, 339 gardaí have been assaulted while on active duty. So far this year, 35 gardaí have been off sick due to poor mental health, with 300 in total over the past six years.

The fall in the number of gardaí has exposed the remaining gardaí further to violent attacks and has made them more vulnerable. There is no doubt but that there is a direct correlation between the spike in violent crime in communities throughout the country and the collapse in Garda numbers. The collapse in Garda morale, recruitment and numbers under the current Government is leading to more violence in towns and villages throughout the country. I want to know from the Minister what material steps the Government is taking to stem the collapse in Garda numbers and morale.

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