Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo the remarks of my colleague, Deputy Devlin, especially regarding the appointment of Jim O'Callaghan as the new Minister for Justice. I wish him well in that regard.

I have a number of points to make about this area. They are small points but nonetheless very important. The use of the 999 number is counterintuitive. For years 999 was used by the public for genuine emergencies such as a homicide in the course of commission or a bank robbery that was under way. Now we have to ring 999 when there is a gang of teenagers on a corner and it seems utterly ridiculous. It also has the effect of undermining the efficacy and the presence of a local Garda station because the minor issues a local station may have been in a position to deal with in the past are now dealt with and triaged by central command and control and you may or may not get a Garda car or Garda presence to deal with the issue, which can sometimes turn into something bigger.

Another issue is the policy of non-pursuit of scramblers, e-bikes and so forth. These vehicles are used as courier mechanisms for drugs and weaponry throughout our city. You will often see children masked up on these vehicles. They are effectively untouchable because there is a Garda policy not to chase them. Creating an untouchable group who do not experience consequences has opened up a way for crime gangs to blossom in our city. I ask the Minister to look very seriously at the policies adopted in this area by the London Metropolitan Police, for example. It is very important no group is above the law in this regard.

The Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act that was passed last year is very important legislation and I welcome that it was commenced last May. However, I took a cursory look last night and I did not see any evidence in the media of any prosecutions having been brought under that legislation. I ask the Minister to look at that. There is ample evidence, based on my experience of going about my business in the city, and we can see lots of this going on under noses.

My final point is on the divisional headquarters promised by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar back in 2019 for my constituency. It is a really important piece of infrastructure for us. Coolock Garda station is groaning at the seams. We can recruit all the gardaí we like but we have nowhere to put them. We have nowhere for our female members to change and nowhere for our male members to change. There is not much point in having these numbers unless they can be assigned to a particular area or district. It is really important for our communities that this project goes ahead and that every emphasis is put by Government on this. There was significant delay because there was a row between Dublin City Council’s valuation office and the OPW in that regard that went on for far too long. We need to get this to planning stage, get the ground turned and get this vital piece of infrastructure delivered.

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