Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Deputies for raising this. It is essential that people feel safe and are safe in their local communities, and Dublin 8 is no exception. Dublin city, and its surroundings, is a hive of business and tourism, particularly at this time of year. There is also a strong, vibrant community created by local residents. We want every part of the city to be a safe space for people to live and work in, and to visit.

As Deputy Costello just said, community safety is not solely the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, her Department or An Garda Síochána; rather, it is a whole-of-government responsibility. The development of new community safety partnerships will bring together all the relevant State agencies, councillors, community groups and residents to develop new community safety plans. Pilots have operated in three areas ahead of a nationwide roll-out this year.

The Government is committed to taking action to tackle crime across our country. This includes giving An Garda Síochána the tools and technology to fight crime in a digital era by rolling out improved CCTV, as well as body-worn cameras, the pilot scheme for which launched in Store Street Garda station on 30 May; doubling the maximum sentence for assault causing harm to ten years; and giving local people and local representatives a real say in how they can make their communities safer through the new local community safety partnerships.

I am assured that the distribution of gardaí is kept under review by the Garda authorities in light of any emerging crime trends or policing needs. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, was in Templemore last Friday for the attestation of 157 gardaí, and I can confirm on her behalf that 103 of those gardaí have been posted to Dublin Garda stations. An Garda Síochána maintains a proactive approach to policing the city to reduce crime and to keep people safe. Members of the Garda mounted unit, Garda dog unit, the armed support unit and the Dublin Metropolitan Region roads policing unit all support Operation Citizen by way of high-visibility beat and mobile patrols, particularly at weekends and in support of organised events. The Garda national public order unit is also available to support regular units and has been recently issued with larger capacity incapacitant spray as well as smaller public order shields.

In addition, Operation Limmat is the Dublin metropolitan region’s public order strategy. It promotes a pro-arrest and early-investigation approach to incidents of assault, together with driving high-visibility policing in public places to act as a deterrent to prevent and reduce assaults and public order offences in the region. Operation Irene has also commenced in the Dublin metropolitan region and runs from 1 June to 1 September. This is a multiagency operation with the key objective to prevent and detect antisocial behaviour and combat underage alcohol consumption and the consumption of alcohol in public places through the enforcement of legislation regulating the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol. The ultimate aim of the operation is to enhance community safety and confidence.

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