John Gilroy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

What is occurring is an undermining of public confidence in the Garda, which I believe is doing a great job, bearing in mind that would all like to see more gardaí on the street.

Let us consider the crime of burglary, for example. Is it the garda on the beat or in the rural Garda station who solves and prevents burglaries? It is not. Up to June of last year, there was an increase, of up to 8%, in burglaries. In the three months after June, there was a decrease of 24%. Senator Keane alluded to this. The trend coincides with an operation called Operation Fiacla, through which there was an enormous number of arrests of known criminals actively involved in burglaries. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of burglaries in the order of 24%. Therefore, it is not the garda in the rural Garda station or the garda on the beat who is preventing burglaries; rather, it is Garda intelligence and the targeting of known criminals.

One wonders why Sinn Féin is speaking in the most inflammatory and terrifying language to the very people about whom it purports to be most concerned. We need to be responsible in what we are saying and speak calmly. There is an argument to be made regarding the closure of community facilities other than Garda stations, such as banks and post offices. Senator Reilly is correct that this may increase the risk of cash in transit being targeted. The purpose of my contribution, humble as it is, is to talk to the public confidence element and urge us to be responsible in what we are saying.

There is a campaign to retain two local Garda stations in a certain part of the country, which I will not mention. I was speaking to the very anxious individuals concerned. Fifteen crimes were reported in one of the stations and 14 in the other, yet the campaigners propose that a garda be present all night. Rather than having gardaí sitting in a Garda station in an area where there is virtually no crime, it is surely better to deploy them according to a more efficient model.

Sinn Féin said it has a major campaign under way. It speaks as if it speaks for the entire population in using its inflammatory and worrying talk. It is no coincidence that where the party's campaign is strongest, the fear of crime is greatest, although the statistics on the actual number of crimes do not indicate this fear is warranted. Let us be careful and not use every opportunity for political gain.