Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister and wish him the very best in what is a tough role. I welcome the statements that have been made in the Chamber about support for, investment in and resources for An Garda Síochána. However, I was dismayed to hear on the news today that the bulk of new gardaí are going to Dublin city centre. We in Dún Laoghaire need gardaí as well. One of the complaints I hear from people locally is that they do not see gardaí on the beat or the Garda presence in the community that is necessary. Kill O'The Grange and Dalkey Garda stations have been closed. Although the gardaí in Dún Laoghaire are doing their level best, they need more gardaí to join their ranks to police the area.

I welcome the Garda Commissioner's decision to allow gardaí to pursue people - it is mostly young people - on scooters. Those wearing no reflective gear are almost invisible on the road. They are zooming through housing estates and parks and are an absolute menace. For a long time, gardaí were telling me they could not pursue them because the protocols did not allow them to do so. I welcome the change in that regard.

Where I live, in Honeypark in Dún Laoghaire, there is a particular issue in that we have a massive problem with antisocial behaviour. There is a park within Honeypark that was taken in charge by the council. As part of that process, the council took down a fence. Local residents were implacably imposed to that decision because they foresaw that it would make it much easier for people to access the park after dark and engage in antisocial behaviour. We have had a myriad of fires set in playgrounds, in bushes and in trees. Benches have been torn off the promenade and thrown into the artificial lake. It is totally unacceptable. I give credit to Superintendent Brian Halligan and his team in Dún Laoghaire, who have done their level best to attend when calls have been made. I do not know how many times I have been in contact with Superintendent Halligan about this issue. Even today, I spoke to him about it. He has confirmed that he wants people to report these incidents. Every time they have been reported, gardaí have attended, as have members of Dublin Fire Brigade from around the corner in Kill Avenue, who have come to put out fires. Is it not a ferocious waste of their time to be doing that?

Residents foresaw this happening and said they did not want the council to remove the fence but they did not have the power to stop it. My colleagues on the council did not have to power to stop it. There seems to be a body within the council that pushed ahead anyway. Now we have a situation where the time of gardaí is being wasted. I am not sure how effective they can be because most of the people committing these offences are juveniles. Most of them are from the local area and, in some instances, are known to gardaí. Where antisocial behaviour, vandalism and criminal damage are ongoing, gardaí need the powers to deal with them.

They need the resources to be able to go in there and do what needs to be done to stop it happening. It is grossly unfair on the people living in Honeypark that they have to live in an area where this is going on, night after night. Resourcing and support for the Garda are the only thing that will stop it.

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