Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----and from what we have heard this evening, they will not get it.

This Government and this Minister are completely out of touch with how crime and antisocial behaviour have affected communities. We know the impact of these failures. We have heard of the incidences of crime on our streets; the random attacks; the workers afraid of leaving late in the evening; the no-go areas in our cities late at night; the people afraid in their own homes; the domestic violence calls unanswered; the response times that have been too slow; the victims of crimes whose lives have been changed forever; and, of course, the appalling failures of 23 November when innocence was shattered and three children and their carer were stabbed as they left school. I commend the bravery of Leanne Flynn and all those who stepped in to protect those children.

It is the job of the State to protect people and to uphold public safety.

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