Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. The community alert and neighbourhood watch programmes were commenced, as the Minister of State said, in 1985 and, therefore, it was important that in January this year the Minister launched a new Garda national model of policing, as I am sure matters have changed quite a bit since 1985.

In regard to the Minister of State's remit, I request him to ensure that the work progresses on Carndonagh Garda station. While recognising that the regional commander for the north west met the Inishowen forum, I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that we would be happy for the deputy commissioner, who acts as the organisation's community policing champion, to visit us in Inishowen. While people will consider what I am talking about to be petty crime, 32,000 people in the area are genuinely fearful and many of them are afraid to sleep at night. Some elderly people sleep during the day and stay up all night in case they become a victim of crime. Logistically, we know that does not make sense but that is what people are doing. I ask the Minister of State to ask the commissioner charged with community policing to visit Inishowen to hear first hand the people's real fears, even if they only amount to petty crime. I am sure members of the community would be more than anxious to exchange their positive and less positive views on what has been happening in the area and what can be done to improve the community policing model for places like my own.