Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I thank both Deputies for raising this cross-party Topical Issue which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan.

I thank them for raising this issue. I was in Limerick city only earlier this week with Senator Maria Byrne and the issue of crime was raised with me by Limerick Chamber of Commerce. Like all decent citizens, I strongly condemn gangland criminality and, in particular, intimidation and threats using firearms and other lethal weapons. People have a right to live safely and feel safe in their homes and communities, and this Government is committed to the principle that everyone, wherever they live in Ireland, should be safe and feel safe. An Garda Síochána has advised the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, that it is carrying out a range of high-visibility and covert operations on an ongoing basis to support public safety in Limerick. Operation Croí has been in place in Limerick city centre, targeting antisocial behaviour and associated offences, including drug-related and traffic-related offences. This Garda operation assists in targeting criminals and the sale and supply of drugs in Limerick city centre. Operation Feabhsaigh was initiated in September 2023 and it has two key priorities, the first of which is law enforcement and crime prevention at King's Island historic quarter, which includes city centre locations. The second priority is dealing with the sale and supply of drugs, open drug use, chronic antisocial behaviour, aggressive begging and crime in St. Mary's Park. Limerick is one of three pilot sites for An Garda Síochána’s front-line deployment of body-worn cameras. The use of body-worn cameras is intended to increase public confidence in policing responses by enabling Gardaí to record incidents as they occur and provide evidence of how a particular incident unfolded, thereby providing greater transparency, promoting accountability and deterring criminal activity.

We know we cannot solely police our way out of these situations. The best way to tackle the safety issues communities are facing is through An Garda Síochána and other State services partnering with the community to implement tailored solutions. The local community safety partnerships, LCSPs, which will operate at each local authority level, are building upon the good work undertaken through the joint policing committees; JPCs, as we would have known them. The objective of the partnerships is to bring the relevant bodies, including An Garda Síochána, together with communities in a collaborative manner by focusing on the concerns identified and prioritised by local people. Each newly established LCSP will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan and will take a strategic approach to its work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner and addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the local community.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which was commenced on 2 April 2025, also provides for area-based neighbourhood community safety forums to facilitate a tailored, targeted and time-limited approach where issues of concern are arising in a more localised format. The Government’s commitment to An Garda Síochána and tackling crime is clear from the allocation of the highest Garda Vote in history, €2.48 billion, in budget 2025. This Government will continue to provide An Garda Síochána with the resources it needs to ensure communities across Limerick and around Ireland are safe and feel safe.

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