Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome back to the House this afternoon to address this issue. I commend her on outlining in detail the contents of the Bill, which, as she said, is mainly technical in nature. I note the Commissioner's comments on the Bill. He said:

These changes will see us deliver a more responsive, more efficient and better service to local communities.

It will mean increased numbers of gardaí working on the frontline, better investigations of crimes against the vulnerable such as sexual crime, and community policing teams dedicated to working with communities to identify and tackle problem crimes in their area.

How could anybody have a problem with any of that? If it delivers what he hopes, we will all be happy.

I take this opportunity to again pay tribute to the gardaí on the ground who do such great work on behalf of us all. They go to work in the morning with no guarantee that they will come back to their loved ones that evening. We should never lose sight of that. Unfortunately, there have been too many examples of gardaí who went to their work in the morning and never returned. I acknowledge the work they have done, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The experience of people I have spoken to throughout the country has been very positive. It may have been because garda shifts were extended to 12-hour shifts which resulted in more gardaí out on the streets. It allowed for more engagement with the general public, which is very positive, something that was perhaps lost in recent years. I was delighted to see that engagement being so positive. It is something we should reflect on. It shows the benefit of having gardaí on the streets during peak times when they are most needed.

My experience of the centralisation of services has not always been a positive. I am thinking of the centralisation of health services, in particular. I am concerned about how this will work out on the ground. In my neck of the woods, the headquarters of the Cavan-Monaghan Garda division is located in Monaghan town where I live and it caters for Cavan and Monaghan. Under this new proposal, we will lose that because that division will be amalgamated with the one in County Louth, with the headquarters located in Louth. I am concerned about that because Louth has towns like Dundalk and Drogheda which have problems requiring greater policing than a town like Monaghan or Cavan would have. That is not to say we do not have our own problems, but perhaps resources will be located in Louth as opposed to in Cavan or Monaghan. I cannot be certain that will be the outcome and I sincerely hope that will not be the case. Will there be a review mechanism to see how these things are working out in practice? Will there be an opportunity to have a look at this down the road to see how it is performing?

On that subject, the Garda district as it was will no longer exist. The system of Garda district meant there was focus on all activity within that district and it was very much localised. There is no more word of Garda districts with only talk of divisions and those divisions will be bigger. Some people are concerned about the effect that will have on policing at a local level where resources will naturally be targeted in areas where crime is at its highest, which is only right. I sincerely hope it will not be at the expense of places like counties Monaghan and Cavan.

By and large, I welcome the Bill. Every organisation needs to look at itself from time to time to see how it can improve and the Garda Síochána should be no different in that regard.There have been wide and extensive discussions about this between the Garda Inspectorate and the Policing Authority and everybody seems to be happy to move forward with this model, albeit I have voiced my concerns about how that might work out on the ground. There are new anti-corruption methods and there is drug testing. That is welcome and should be taken as a given.

In this country, there has been a unique relationship between the people and the Garda. It is something very special. We talk about best international practice as the model on which we should try to model our system, but I believe we are unique. We have an unarmed police force. There always has been, is and hopefully always will be a unique close relationship between citizens and members of the Garda. It is unique to this country and it is something we should hold onto at all costs.

In summary, I welcome this legislation. I have mentioned some of my concerns and perhaps the Minister will take the opportunity to comment on them. We all embrace anything that delivers a better service to our communities. Any system that results in more gardaí on the beat, dealing and interacting with people, is something for which we all strive. I hope the Bill does what it says on the tin, if I can use that expression, and that the general public will be the beneficiary of it. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I am delighted to support it. I hope it results in an even better relationship between the Garda and the people it serves and protects daily.