Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Too often when we talk about antisocial behaviour it is framed as an urban problem. However, the reality is that this is not just an issue for cities or large towns. Rural communities, small villages and settlements throughout the country are also experiencing the impact. Communities in every county want to feel safe. They want their young people supported and they want to know that the Government takes their concerns seriously. In my role as Sinn Féin spokesperson on rural affairs and community development I have heard these concerns echoed in every part of the State. In my own constituency of Waterford, both rural and urban communities tell me the same thing, which is that there is real frustration about the lack of a Garda presence and lack of support for community-based responses. At the heart of this there is a crisis in An Garda Síochána. People in communities tell me that they cannot see gardaí on the beat. We see this in the empirical evidence and the facts as presented to us in response to parliamentary questions. We see it on the ground too and anecdotally we know it to be true. In particular people do not see community gardaí, that is, the front-line presence that prevents crime, builds relationships and reassures people, that reaches out to young people and that can solve issues and identify them before they become larger issues and have negative impacts on communities.

The figures speak for themselves. At the end of December 2024 there were 14,191 serving members of An Garda Síochána. By the end of July this year the number stood at 14,254. That is a net increase of just 63 members in seven months. The Government's target of 1,000 new gardaí a year is simply not going to be met. Recruitment and retention remains the key crisis and the front-line deficit in gardaí is leaving our communities actually exposed and feeling exposed.

We cannot pretend this is just about Garda numbers. Antisocial behaviour has roots in deeper issues. Government after Government failed to tackle the causes, namely poverty, deprivation, chronic lack of investment in community development and youth services. Rural Ireland knows this as much as any city. For many young people there is nowhere to go, nothing to do and no structural support. That is not to excuse antisocial behaviour and it is certainly not to excuse criminality but it is not an accident either. It is a result of political choices to underfund youth work and community infrastructure, year on year. There are solutions such as gardaí youth diversion projects as mentioned already. They are proven to work but they remain underfunded and patchy in their availability. Outreach programmes that meet young people where they are should be expanded. Restorative justice referrals are back to pre-Covid levels, which is welcome, but we need to see more consistent use of these by the courts. The bail supervision programme should be properly resourced and led by the probation service, not the Garda. This would free up Garda time to be in communities, to be visible and accessible. Crucially, we must empower and resource local authorities to take a more active role in responding to antisocial behaviour where it presents.

Tackling antisocial behaviour requires more than headlines or short-term crackdowns. It requires gardaí in our communities, proper long-term, consistent investment in youth work, real support for families and local authorities with the capacity to intervene effectively. The Government has not delivered on any of this but it is time it did.

See this speech in context