Jimmy Harte (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yes. If the Senator will not interrupt, I will continue. We cannot deny the statistics we have read on the proliferation of police stations compared with other modern economies. In the UK, excluding Scotland, for example, there are 1,600 police stations. We had almost 700 at one point, nearly half of the number in the UK, excluding Scotland, with its population of more than 55 million. Scotland, a similar country to Ireland in terms of its geography and urban-rural divide, has approximately 300 stations.

If we were setting up a police force from scratch, building stations in areas that are not used by the public would be the last thing we would discuss. In Donegal, for example, people have told me that many stations have been effectively closed anyway.

For the people who state that older people will be protected by an extra Garda station in an area, there are no statistics to back up that claim. I do not foresee an increase in crime in a year in places where Garda stations have closed. I could almost guarantee that. It is not about how many buildings a Garda force has in the country but rather it is about policing effectively.

There is a new, young Garda force in the country that is well educated, with many members having third level degrees. They have the qualifications and technical ability to operate on a different level to the Garda force that had existed. Some 60% of the gardaí now on duty have less than ten years experience, which is good. We should face the fact that over the years there have been many scandals involving gardaí, and a new breed of garda is now capable of bringing the force into the modern world. I would rather have young gardaí in my area who know what is happening on the street than gardaí 40 years on the beat who have learned their trade in a different time.

People have argued that smart policing does not live up to its name but it is more like modern policing, which is what is required in this country. Other countries have embraced such an idea. The Fianna Fáil Party does not want to change anything.