Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, desperately wanted to be here to take it because he feels so strongly about it. Unfortunately, at the last minute, he had to step away and I stepped into his place. I wanted to relay that message.

My heart goes out to the communities the Deputy mentioned. I have sat in this Chamber and in council chambers many times listening to people crying out for amenities such as public toilets and playgrounds. The amount of community effort that goes into delivering a playground in a community is extraordinary. Sometimes, fundraising is done within the community and, other times, community groups come together, working with the local authority and with LEADER funding, to deliver playgrounds. To see the pointless destruction of these incredible community facilities is really disappointing. Fair play to the Deputy for raising it. I hope my reply will be useful in highlighting possible solutions.

Damage to community facilities is not only unacceptable; it is reprehensible. Every playground, park and public space represents considerable investment not only in financial terms but also in terms of time and effort from the community, the local authorities and their staff and the contractors who build these wonderful facilities. Setting playgrounds or parks alight is not harmless fun. It is a sign of disrespect to one's neighbours and one's community. It prevents the wider community, including children, from using amenities that are often the heart of the local area.

At the end of September 2025, the Garda workforce was at its highest in history, standing at over 18,000 people. This comprises 14,325 members, 3,483 staff and 293 reserves. As of the same date, 3,836 Garda members were assigned to the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, with 471 Garda staff also working across the region. Of these, 766 Garda members and 70 Garda staff are assigned to DMR north.

The greatest demand from the public to the Minister for justice is for more gardaí on our streets and in our villages and towns. People want to see more gardaí throughout their communities, as does the Minister and every Member of this House. Nearly 200 new gardaí attested last Friday. On Monday, more than 220 Garda recruits entered Templemore to commence their training. This is the largest intake of Garda trainees in over ten years. Gardaí work tirelessly to keep our city safe for residents and visitors alike. When incidents occur, they respond quickly, effectively and with a graduated response.

The Minister is conscious of the damaging impact on quality of life that crime can have in our communities. The Government is committed to tackling crime and building safer streets and stronger communities through a number of ongoing measures, including: the introduction of local community safety partnerships around the country to develop tailored community safety plans for every area; continued expansion of youth justice and youth diversion measures; new laws to criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime; and the deployment of body-worn cameras by gardaí in Dublin city centre, Waterford and Limerick in 2024, with nationwide roll-out to follow. Other actions are contained in the programme for Government to reduce instances of antisocial behaviour and help people to be safe and feel safe in their local communities. These include a commitment to enact legislation to combat antisocial behaviour through enhanced use of antisocial behaviour warnings and antisocial behaviour orders. Work to progress these commitments has commenced.

That covers the general approach in terms of tackling antisocial behaviour. However, there seems to be a specific issue in the Dublin area. There is almost a type of copycat activity happening where it is becoming the done thing to target community facilities. The Deputy gave a large number of examples. It is saddening to see. I am sure the Minister will work with the Dublin local authorities and An Garda Síochána to ensure the issue is tackled in some way. I commend the fire crews who had to respond to these incidents very quickly.

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