Kevin Humphreys (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The report published this morning on young people in the south inner city is worrying. Senator Ó Ríordáin recently tabled a Commencement matter on establishing a task force for Coolock. This problem does not only affect Dublin's south inner city. It affects the north inner city, the south-east inner city and areas throughout the city. I can only speak for Dublin as I do not have direct experience of Cork.

I have seen in the inner city that these gangs have taken ownership of territory. They look on it as territory and have made no-go areas. I raised this matter with the Minister only last week when I explained what happens in the flat complexes. Sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, arrive, a drugs delivery is made to 14 and 15 year olds and the sales begin. These people take ownership of territory in the city and intimidate the community they live in. It is dreadful. They try to intimidate the few politicians that go into these areas because they want ownership of the territory and want to drive the Garda out of it. I have seen how they walk around with camera phones held up to the faces of gardaí as they patrol the complexes in an effort to push the gardaí out. Unfortunately, the numbers are wrong. Much of the inner city is not being policed at the level it should be. We do not have the community gardaí we should have. The gaps have not been filled. The biggest mistake ever made was the closure of the Garda Training College in Templemore because it led to huge gaps in the Garda service. We have more gardaí retiring than we have new gardaí coming on stream. This is a real problem.

The Irish Times contacted me this morning and asked about turnout figures at elections. I had a quick look at the turnout figures in the inner city and they are very low. Is the reason the area is being left behind that politicians look at the turnout figures and decide not to work for or represent those communities?

I lived in Neilstown 30 odd years ago. I remember, while out campaigning for an independent candidate, being stopped by a prominent politician who told me that households in Neilstown were only worth a leaflet because people in the area did not vote. Is that not really an indictmentof us and our policies?