Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and thank him for taking this important debate. I commend all serving and former members of the Garda Síochána. Members of my family served in the Garda Síochána on the front line in the 1980s, when it defended this State against subversives, and put their lives on the line in the defence of the State.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion which was loaded with hypocrisy and opportunism by the party which brought this country to its knees economically and socially. Let us be straight about things - the rot set in before the Minister began the challenge of modernising the Garda force. The national recovery plan, agreed by the Fianna Fáil Administration, signed off on a cut in numbers exceeding the cuts forced on this Government, so to have Fianna Fáil jump up and down and put a motion before this House in regard to cuts would be funny if it was not so serious. Once again Fianna Fáil seems to be hedging its bets that the people of this country have profound memory loss and that its national recovery plan, which covers in detail the reduction in public service numbers, will be forgotten. Let us remember that the document, which details a reduction in Garda numbers from 14,500 in December 2010 to 13,500 in December 2011 with a further reduction to 13,350 to be effected by 31 December 2012, further required reductions by 31 December 2013 to bring the force down to 13,150 and down further to 13,000 by the end of December 2014. Fianna Fáil's plan also stated that there would be ¤25 million in savings from unspecified Garda management efficiencies and a further ¤140 million in savings from overtime, allowances and transport costs.

While I support the call for this debate and agree in some respects that the case for certain stations should be re-examined, Fianna Fáil should look at its position on this issue in the not too distant past. The reality is that this call by Fianna Fáil is more about populist electioneering. It did not seem too concerned about the downgrading of services when it was in the dying days of the last Government and desperately trying to maintain control of that Government.

Admittedly, I was critical last week of how the plan was being rolled out, and I stand over those remarks. I appreciate radical change and reform is a difficult job but in rural areas, the roll-out of this plan could have been managed in a different way with more information given to the public at large. The concern and fear being expressed and experienced by the communities in rural Ireland, including the community in which I live and represent in County Tipperary, is a reality. I do not believe elected representatives are whipping this up for the sake of it or to further their own interests, unlike Fianna Fáil with this motion. We are standing up for communities and I commend everybody on taking that stand.

I acknowledge a well-resourced Garda force plays a vital role in the security of the State and I support the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, in his statement that he would not like to see the numbers in the Garda falling below 13,000. The challenge for the Garda is to maintain the public safety of people in their homes, workplaces, on the streets and in public places while operating in extremely difficult financial conditions in which the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government left us.

The new Garda roster being piloted is aimed at making the gardaí more mobile and flexible to deliver a more effective policing service. I heard the Minister say that of the 100 Garda stations being closed, 98% are open part-time, 94% are open for three hours or less per day, 88% are served by one garda and 5% are served by three or more gardaí. This is true but it does not reflect the security rural Garda stations instil in people's minds that their local garda is available to them. Operation Fiacla and the move to smart policing have yet to percolate down to rural Ireland. The crucial links between the community and the gardaí must be reinforced as a matter of urgency. The relationship the local garda builds up with the local people cannot be measured and has been overlooked or maybe misunderstood.

I commend the Minister on finding funding in the current economic climate to invest ¤4 million in the Garda fleet in 2012, for putting 213 cars on the road and for providing extra officers on the beat and finding an extra ¤5 million for the purchase of new Garda cars in 2013. However, I believe the present Administration's pursuance of modernisation of the Garda Síochána would have been better served by frontloading the upgrade of and increase in fleet numbers in the first instance, prior to the closure of barracks. We should first have made operational the 400 vehicles and put them in the communities as a presence protecting people and putting communities at ease. Those vehicles should have been put in place in rural communities and the new Garda rostering system should have been implemented.

The entire process should have been allowed to bed in and the Government should have revamped the community alert and neighbourhood watch schemes. This would have meant a front-loading of the new system. I was led to believe that the ongoing engagement between the Department of Justice and Equality, Garda management and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform regarding Garda strength and expenditure would ensure that the situation is monitored during 2013. I was also led to believe that the Government will provide the necessary resources during 2013 and in the future.