Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

The foundation of my political career lies in my beginnings within the voluntary community sector. I firmly believe everybody should engage with their communities in some capacity. Recently, I addressed the pressing issue of the lack of gardaí in rural Ireland. We have witnessed the closure of Garda stations without replacements. This has led to a decline in the sense of safety that once prevailed in the past. If people had an issue, they could visit their local Garda station where they would know the gardaí and they would know you and your family. This connectivity between the community and the Garda was always invaluable and should have been continued. We have had some exceptional gardaí in west Cork. I often mention their names here, such as Garda Jonathan McCarthy. I do this because he lives in the same community in which he works in Ballydehob. It is greatly important to the people of the Mizen Peninsula to have a garda living in the Garda station there. His family are there too. It is a great service to the local community. Damian White is another garda who comes to mind. He works with the youth. We have the An Garda Síochána Youth Awards.

The point I am trying to make is that not all young people are bad. An incredible number of great young people are out there. They have a great deal to offer and we need to squeeze that potential out of them. The only way we can do that is through the An Garda Síochána Youth Awards at divisional and national level to celebrate outstanding young people aged between 13 and 21 by recognising the positive contributions they make to their communities. The first Garda divisional youth awards were established by a local juvenile liaison officer in west Cork in 1995. He recognised the tremendous efforts of young people in the community that deserved acknowledgement. Since then, the awards have grown significantly. We have some great young people and we should not always be down on them. I recently met one such lad at a St. Patrick's Day parade in Skibbereen, a 15-year-old kickboxing world champion named Evan Collins. There are many more great young people in this country and we must ensure they are involved in the community. We must give them something to do and encourage them to get involved. Independent Ireland advocates for increased Garda funding, housing support and recruitment initiatives. We also believe that repeat offenders should face appropriate consequences for their actions. Furthermore, we hold that non-citizens who commit serious crimes should be deported immediately. Applicants with violent or sexual convictions should not be allowed entry into our country. I mentioned quite a few young people. One young man in west Cork who has done quite a lot and whose work has probably gone unnoticed is Aidan Burke. He is a kind of a rap musician. I met him recently. He put together a song for young people who have mental health problems. He needs to be recognised. This is what we need to do. We must recognise the good young people out there.

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