John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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It is a pity the Minister for Justice and Equality is not here. We want to highlight the decline in the number of front-line gardaí in Dublin, particularly over the past year or so. The figures tell us that Dublin has lost almost 100 gardaí since last year, despite what the Minister and the Government are telling us about increased resources and increased numbers. In real terms, Dublin has lost 1,000 gardaí since 2010. At a time when Garda numbers in the rest of the country are increasing, we have to ask what it is about Dublin and this Government when it comes to the provision of adequate policing for the communities that live here.

5 o’clock

It was summed up best by Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy, who commented publicly at the end of January. He stated:

Despite the fact that there are new personnel, drainage into specialist units and transfers continue to reduce frontline policing. We have hit rock bottom.

That is a direct quote from the Assistant Garda Commissioner.

There have been 15 gangland killings in 27 months. In my constituency there are 110 fewer gardaí in Dublin metropolitan region south compared to 2010. That takes in Tallaght, Rathfarnham, Crumlin and Terenure Garda stations. Community gardaí are down 20% in the same metropolitan region, and we may as well say that the Garda Reserve numbers have collapsed.

Regarding detection rates for burglaries, any of us who are members of joint policing committees, and most of us are, burglaries are down from the spike in 2014-2015, but the detection rate in the areas is mind-bogglingly low. Three houses were burgled one afternoon recently in one of the parishes in my constituency. There are complaints of poor response times, mainly because the Garda is under-resourced and there are not enough gardaí. In Rathfarnham Garda district, in which there is approximately 15,000 or 20,000 houses, robbery from establishments has soared by up to 140% and theft from the person is up 84%. In regard to Terenure Garda station, the figure for theft from the person is up 100%. In terms of detection rates across all these, the figures are 9% in Tallaght Garda station, 5% in Rathfarnham Garda station, 10% in Crumlin station and 7% in Terenure station.

As the numbers of gardaí in Dublin have fallen, curiously, the numbers in Portlaoise Garda station have risen year on year and the biggest increase in Portlaoise Garda station, in the Minister's constituency, has taken place since his appointment. What is it about Dublin that our numbers of gardaí are falling but in the Minister's constituency and throughout Garda districts across the rest of the country, Garda numbers on the street are rising?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I reiterate and reinforce what my colleague has said. I have great regard for the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, but I am disappointed that the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, is not here to take this issue. It is an example of the way he and Government treats Dublin when it comes to policing.

We have to get serious about crime and criminality in the city and county of Dublin. I raised issues directly with the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, just before Christmas. In the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, north, which is much of the area I represent, with over 300,000 people, we have lost 147 gardaí since 2010. I want to start on a small positive. As a result of the community action in places like Balbriggan and Swords, and supported by myself - I have continually raised the issue of the lack of community gardaí - the Garda Commissioner announced an additional five community gardaí in Balbriggan, which will increase the number from two, for a population of 38,000 people. That is welcome and long overdue but very badly needed. In Swords, which is the size of a city, with a population of over 50,000, we have ten community gardaí. An extra five were announced, which I welcome, but I put it to the Minister of State that it is because of the continuing pressure we are putting on the Minister and the Department of Justice and Law Reform to deliver the additional gardaí.

The Minister of State will agree with me that people deserve to feel safe and secure in their own homes and communities. There are large rural swathes in my constituency, including Garristown, where we have one garda. Rush Garda station was closed. Malahide Garda station closes at 9 p.m., and there are no community gardaí in Malahide for a population of just under 30,000. Fingal is the fastest growing part of the country and we have lost one in five gardaí in five years. That is 20% of the force. Not only has that an impact on intelligence gathering and on experience within our force, it has an effect on the community.

I want to hear from Government today that policing in Dublin is a priority. I meet with the chief superintendents and inspectors in my district and I see the work they and the rank and file gardaí are doing. We have just had a debate on the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill and the issue of illicit drugs. Our drugs unit in north Dublin is half of what it was in 2010. We have lost one in two, or 50%, of the gardaí in that unit. It cannot continue. Fianna Fáil in Dublin, with four Deputies, is putting Government on notice that it will no longer accept that. We want it to resource the Garda in Dublin county and city. Deputy Lahart outlined the figures. In my DMR district, 147 gardaí are gone, with a population that has grown nearly 8% in that intervening period.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The message we want to get across to the Minister of State this evening is that the Government needs to wake up to the fact that crime in Dublin is a serious and growing problem. We have known for many years, unfortunately, that we have a problem in Dublin in respect of gangland crime. That is being dealt with by An Garda Síochána as best it can, provided it is given the resources, but the Government needs to wake up to the fact that what would be called middle of the road crime in terms of burglaries, thefts and attacks on the individual is growing.

To deal with one particular sector of our economy, the Irish Pharmacy Union recently did a survey on pharmacists and how they have been subjected and targeted in terms of crime. The survey found that 79% of pharmacies have been the victims of crime. On Pearse Street recently, in my constituency, pharmacies have been targeted. It is unacceptable that people who are in business, and most of them are sole practitioners trying to do a decent job, cannot rely on the fact that there are Garda resources out on the street to protect them. We know we will never resolve these criminal problems fully but the most effective way of dealing with them is to have a strong policing presence on the ground. One does not need to be a famous criminologist to realise that that provides confidence to the people in the community and a deterrent value to individuals who are thinking of getting involved in crime. If we could have more gardaí on the street it would be very effective in deterring people who believe they are entitled to go into a premises and get away with any small criminal acts they do such as theft.

My colleagues mentioned burglaries. Burglaries are a huge issue throughout my constituency also. Another further deterrent for them is technology but also gardaí on the street. If one goes to any community in our country, the one response from victims of crime and people who believe they are threatened by crime is that they want to see a greater Garda presence. Unfortunately, when we look at the figures for the gardaí who are present in Dublin, we see there has been a significant drop since 2010. In 2010, the number of Garda members in the Garda divisions was 4,160. By 2016, that number had dropped to 3,516. The Government may legitimately say that was because of the economic decline but that does not explain the fact that in the past year, the number of gardaí in Dublin has gone down to 3,409, a drop of 100 members of An Garda Síochána.

What the figures indicate is that this Government does not take seriously the problem of crime in Dublin. We know it will intervene on operational matters in respect of An Garda Síochána where it suits the interests of perhaps a member of Cabinet. We saw that when it came to Stepaside Garda station. If the Government is able to do it in respect of opening a Garda station, it should be able to do the same to ensure there are more gardaí on the street. I ask the Government and the Minister for Justice and Equality to take this issue more seriously to ensure that Dublin is properly protected.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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While the Minister is very welcome to this debate, like my colleagues, I am disappointed that the Minister for Justice and Equality has not found it possible to attend because this is a very serious issue and we are coming to it from four different constituencies across the greater Dublin area.

I want to preface my remarks by putting on the record both my appreciation and the appreciation of thousands of our constituents and our community for the work that is done daily by the men and women of An Garda Síochána. It is precisely because they value the work of An Garda Síochána that we are here today because they are under-resourced in Dublin. The figures have been outlined. In the past year in Dublin we have had a reduction of 100 gardaí. Dublin has a growing population. It has increased economic activity yet all the figures are down, whether it is in each of our metropolitan areas, in terms of community gardaí and the Garda Reserve.

I looked at my diary before coming into the Chamber. Next week and the following week I have meetings in two communities, one in Rathcoole and the other in Palmerstown.

Policing is top of the agenda in both areas. The communities have clearly referred to the fact that they do not have the Garda presence they traditionally had. In my area, DMR west, the numbers have declined by 129 from 788 in 2010 to 659. What does it mean and is it significant? In the likes of Rathcoole Garda station it means a decline from 26 gardaí to 15. That means a Garda station which is supposed to be open during the day is only open subject to a garda being available.

Most of the serious and gangland crime committed over the last year or two has occurred in the greater Dublin area. Part of the impact is the way in which crime scenes take gardaí away from their normal duties. Crime scenes must be protected and door-to-door inquiries must take place. The Garda presence one would normally see on the ground is not there. One of the best assets An Garda Síochána has is the community garda. Community gardaí earn the respect of the communities in which they work and they act as a liaison between communities and various other Garda units. In my area, the number of community gardaí has declined by 24 to just 65.

While I am disappointed the Minister is not here, I could nearly have written the reply he will have given the Minister of State. It will refer to the reopening of Templemore in 2014 and his target of 15,000 gardaí by 2021. It will refer to increased civilianisation and new targets for the Garda Reserve. We have heard it all before. The problem is that as Templemore has sent increased numbers of gardaí to other stations, Dublin has experienced a continuous decline across every metropolitan district. That is the crux of the problem. The Minister of State cannot give us that stock reply. Year after year, the Government is recruiting and training gardaí and then distributing them to other areas at the expense of Dublin where we have serious crime, a growing population and increased economic activity.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter. They are passionate and serious about it, which I appreciate. I am taking the issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, who cannot be here this evening and who sends his apologies.

The distribution of gardaí is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. That said, I am aware that the Minister met with the acting Commissioner and his management team as recently as Monday of this week and the issue of resources was one of the matters discussed. The acting Commissioner has advised that the overall Garda strength in the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, as of 31 December 2017 was 3,485. When appropriate, the work of local gardaí in the DMR is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the armed support unit, the national bureau of criminal investigation, the Garda national economic crime bureau and the Garda national drugs and organised crime bureau. The Deputies will be aware, as Deputy Curran predicted I would say, that the Garda College in Templemore was closed in 2010.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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How long did the Government keep it closed?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Even though the Deputy does not like me saying that, I will say it anyway. It was closed by the then-Government because of the severe and catastrophic economic crisis that the country was plunged into. The closure of the college and the moratorium imposed at that time has obviously had an impact on numbers in An Garda Síochána and it would be disingenuous to attribute the decline in numbers to anything other than that factor.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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That is nonsense. Fine Gael kept it closed.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputies opposite do not like hearing this, but it is a fact.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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They want to rewrite history.

Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Please, Deputies, respect the Minister of State.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Acting Chairman for his protection. When the last Government came into office, the initial focus was on stabilising the public finances and returning the country to growth. Once that had been achieved, one of the Government's first actions was to reopen the Garda College in Templemore.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Which the Government kept closed for three years.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Fianna Fáil closed it.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Since the reopening in September 2014, just under 1,600 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. Of these, 719, or 45%, have been assigned to the Dublin metropolitan region. I am aware that while Garda strength in the DMR east, north and north central divisions shows an increase, albeit slight, between 2015 and 2017, the overall strength of the DMR shows a marginal reduction at the end of 2017 compared to 2015.

As the Deputies will appreciate, the challenges presented by gangland crime over the past two years have necessitated investment in specialist units to enhance their capacity to support the fight against this scourge. I am advised by the Commissioner that 100 extra gardaí were assigned to specialist units within special crime operations in 2017. In addition, a dedicated armed support unit for the DMR was established at the end of 2016 in order to enhance armed support capacity in Dublin and to free up the resources of the emergency response unit.

I assure the House that the Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country, including on the streets of the capital, in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, including 15,000 Garda members. Real and tangible progress has been made towards this goal. Taking account of projected retirements, Garda numbers increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017, which represents a net increase of over 600 since the end of 2016. I am pleased to note that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce.

This year, a further 800 Garda recruits will enter the Garda College, 200 of whom have already entered since 29 January. Another 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year which means overall Garda numbers will reach 14,000 by the end of 2018, even taking account of projected retirements. Undoubtedly, the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enhance visibility within our communities. As new Garda recruits come on stream, it will enable the acting Commissioner to provide additional resources across the Dublin metropolitan region.

Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Deputies have one minute each for a supplementary and I have been reminded to keep them closely to the time.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I will do my best.

Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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No, I will.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for a well read response. He says the distribution of gardaí is exclusively a matter for the Garda Commissioner, but he fails to explain why there is a huge increase relatively speaking in the Garda station in Portlaoise, one of the stations in the Minister's constituency. The Minister of State referred to Templemore, but its closure does not explain the discrepancy between the increase in numbers at Portlaoise Garda station and the decrease in the numbers in Dublin Garda stations across all services. The numbers are down 1,000 gardaí since 2010. The number of community gardaí has dropped from 508 to 310 in 2017. Garda Reserve numbers have dropped from 508 in 2010 to 175 in 2017.

People want gardaí on the beat, visible community gardaí, proper resources and reasonably rapid response times for people who are in need. We will continue to drive this message home until Dublin gets the deserved and warranted number of gardaí relative to the rest of the country.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The reply was the same response the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, gave before along with a bit of nonsense in the middle blaming Fianna Fáil when Fine Gael has been in government for seven years.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is a fact.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Relax, Pat. Over the seven years Fine Gael has been in government, it has presided over the decimation of An Garda Síochána, certainly in my area. Does the Minister of State remember smart policing, which was a policy of Government under his former colleague, Alan Shatter, who the Minister of State might also remember? It was not very smart for the communities out there. Repeat offending is an area in which the Government has abdicated its responsibility completely. Why have we had 15 gangland murders in this city in 27 months? The Government is asking gardaí in Dublin city and county to operate with one hand tied behind their backs. They are not being given the resources they deserve. They put their lives on the line for us but the Government does not prioritise Dublin.

I attended a meeting in Donabate this week, which was attended by more than 300 people. The population of Donabate and Portrane is over 11,000 but we have no gardaí there. It is also designated as an area for future growth. The population is crying out for a new Garda station, but there is no point having one if there are no gardaí to staff it. I ask the Minister of State to take seriously what Fianna Fáil in Dublin is saying, prioritise the DMR and ensure that, at the very least, we are not disproportionately impacted relative to other parts of the country, including, co-incidentally, the Minister's own constituency of Laois.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to answer the questions put down by the four of us, but he has been given a very hard task by his senior Minister. The person who should be responding to these issues is the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I suspect the reason he is not here is his great discomfort about what the statistics reveal for Portlaoise. The Minister of State said the reason for the decline in Garda numbers was the economic crash to which Fine Gael refers three times a day. However, that does not explain the decline in Garda numbers in Dublin between 2016 and 2017. What was the Fine Gael slogan during the last election?

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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"Keep the recovery going".

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The recovery was ongoing in 2016, which does not explain why there was a decline. The credit for adding 800 gardaí each year goes to Fianna Fáil because of what we achieved in the confidence and supply agreement.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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No.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It is true.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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One need only look at the Fine Gael manifesto from before the last election. It included no commitment to bring Garda numbers up to 15,000. I refer finally to the assertion that the distribution of gardaí is a matter exclusively for the Garda Commissioner.

If that is so, there are some very odd things to be explained when we look at the figures on increases for Portlaoise and what is happening in respect of Stepaside. It seems that, on certain occasions, operational matters coincide very much with the interests of certain Government Ministers.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I will try to stick strictly to the point. In the Minister of State's answer to this House, he said that during 2017 the number of gardaí increased to 13,551, an increase of over 600. Can he explain to us why, if we have 600 extra gardaí in the country, there is a decline in the number of gardaí in Dublin? Why are we not seeing the increases that are happening in other parts of the country? That is the crux of the problem. We have gone through every constituency and metropolitan region and we have highlighted the issues, and whether it is in regard to community gardaí, local drugs squads, traffic corps, all are showing a decline. That is why the Minister is not here. He sent in the Minister of State to say we have 600 extra gardaí but a decline in Dublin. That is the crux of the problem - the areas where we have more serious problems such as gangland crime and related crime have fewer gardaí. There has to be political accountability and a political response. We cannot preside over a continuous decline in the number of gardaí serving in the greater Dublin area.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure if I detected an apology there for the closure of Templemore in 2010 and congratulations that we managed to get it open and that we are recruiting these extra numbers.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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It was kept closed for four years.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I will wait for that. I would expect that every time Fianna Fáil speaks here, its members would apologise first for the mess they made of the country and the catastrophic disaster they made.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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This is more of the same.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister of State just explain why we are not getting more gardaí?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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They forget that and they wipe it out.

I assure the Deputies that Garda management keeps the distribution of the resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities and that the needs of all divisions are taken into account. They have made significant progress in tackling the threat of organised crime, particularly in Dublin's north inner city. Operation Hybrid has been established to co-ordinate the response to violent crime in Dublin and to address public safety concerns about community safety, particularly in the north inner city, and benefits from significant support from the armed support units.

As of 21 January this year, this response had included 72 arrests; 13 charges in total, ten charges related to murder investigations and three charges related to other offences; 34 firearms seized related to murder offences; in the region of 260 searches; and 15,000 lines of inquiry conducted, with more than 50,000 high-visibility checkpoints implemented and with significant support from the armed support units. In addition, a significant amount of CCTV footage, mobile phone traffic and forensic evidence has been examined. The Government also enacted new legislation to further target criminal activities, including the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2016, which provides additional powers for gardaí, in particular powers to deal with the immediate seizure of assets suspected of being the proceeds of crime in order to prevent them being disposed of. In addition, the Government's plans for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 is complemented by substantial investment in the Garda fleet and technology across the organisation.

We are now in a position to make real progress and it is being made. The gardaí are being attested in Templemore, there are more gardaí on the streets and there will be more.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Not in Dublin.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I take into account the genuine concerns of colleagues here and across the country. We have to fight this together. The Deputies are right to bring it up and to keep arguing about it. We are listening and we are working to increase the numbers and to maximise the turnout from Templemore. That is the essential point. I thank Deputies for their time.