Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Do we actually have the capacity to effectively police this State anymore? I ask because once again I was summoned to a coalition of residents' groups in a Dublin 1 area, from Buckingham Street around to Talbot Street. Their issues are ones that have been replicated over the last number of years. There is chronic law-breaking and open drug dealing and when the residents call the gardaí none arrives.

The Minister will be familiar with the area. It is where the Minister for Justice took a much-lauded walk a couple of months ago to prove the city was safe. Those residents certainly do not feel safe anymore. There is drug dealing outside their doors, chronic lawlessness and absolutely no capacity for gardaí to intervene. It is a decision. We have resources but a person should also have minimum expectations when they open their door and that is not being met in the inner city right now.

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