Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive opening statement and measured approach to where we are. Evidence that is not just anecdotal, although much of it is anecdotal, shows that there is, particularly in Dublin but also in the rest of our urban centres, concern about night-time activity, public transport and safe streets. It may seem like low-level antisocial behaviour but people wandering down the street in groups are calling people names, making people feel unsafe and having digs at each other. It seems to be the behaviour of groups coming into the city centre. Particularly during Covid, there was less of the passive surveillance we expect because shops, pubs and restaurants were all closed. Groups came in and were organising fights against each other and so on. It is in this regard that we need high-profile policing.

I take the Minister of State's points on youth diversion, distracting people, the causes of poverty and the reasons people may act up, but it is important that those who want to go into the city to socialise, shop and work feel safe, that the public transport we want them to use – the DART, Luas and buses, where available – is safe and secure, and that, where incidents happen, they are dealt with immediately.It is important that there is a response because people need to know they cannot misbehave or that there is a sanction for so doing. We sometimes see in the courts that people have hundreds of convictions, yet they are out again doing the same thing. The frustration is that a small cohort of people are continually misbehaving. If they are caught on many occasions, they are probably committing many more offences for which they are not being apprehended. In spite of being caught, they are out and about and they do not feel there is any sanction. It is frustrating for people when they see this revolving door. It is questionable whether these people ever get some form of detention. I would much prefer if they were not in detention or committing the crimes but there must be a sanction and punishment for those who are continually acting up. I refer to people who go into town to pickpocket or cause trouble for the sheer fun of it from their perspective.

I was at a civic reception last night celebrating 100 years of the Garda Síochána in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Gardaí work under exceptionally difficult circumstances. We have seen the awful incidents in Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard and other parts of the city where gardaí put themselves on the line every time they are on a shift and they go out to investigate a call. We all acknowledge that they are under pressure and under threat. I would like to see a higher policing presence on the city streets and public transport systems. I would also like to see the perceived no-go areas being tackled. It is not sufficient to take a justice and Garda approach: local authorities, business organisations, community groups and residents association must also be involved. All of these various organisations must come together to address the problems and point out where there are issues with drug dealing or illegal dumping, for example. Streets that are clean tend to stay clean. Streets that are dirty tend to get worse because people think it is fine and that is just what people do. More of a listening approach is required from perhaps the Garda and local authorities to everyone in the community: residents associations and equally people trying to run businesses, be it pubs, restaurants, shops or offices who wonder why they are still in the city centre. There is so much good about Dublin in particular, and the same is true of all of our cities yet people feel vulnerable. I know the figures have improved hugely in terms of Covid and I do not want to over-stress the challenges but people feel a little bit vulnerable on public transport and they would like to see a bit more of a presence. When gangs appear, they should not feel that they can act up whether it is on O'Connell Street or on public transport. They generally do not tend to act up in venues because there is security there, but on the streets after events at night-time we see gangs gathering in parts not very far from here. There are groups possibly drinking outdoors calling people names as they walk past and that creates an unpleasant atmosphere. This is a capital city of between 1 million and 1.5 million people within a small catchment area. It has so much going for it.

The answer is not just to throw money at it. We need a high-profile police presence in all of these black spots so that they are dealt with and they know that it is not okay to behave in this way. We have seen documentaries about the Luas lines, where one seems to have more problems than the other, but that should be tackled. Both Luas lines should be as good as each other and as good as any other public transport system.

I appreciate that no matter how well we do, we will feel there is more to do. That is right. We are not half as bad as many other cities of a comparable size, but that is not a reason to rest on our laurels. There are people who feel unsafe walking the streets, in particular on their own. Older people, in particular women, feel vulnerable being out on their own and that should not be the case. We must all keep our wits about us, but it should be the case that we feel safe walking in many areas. There is a lot that has been done and a lot that we are doing. I welcome the additional overtime for the Garda and many of the initiatives outlined such as those on community safety policing. However, we do have a problem as people feel unsafe.

The Dublin parliamentary group of Fianna Fáil conducted a public transport survey and more than half the people said they felt unsafe at night-time on public transport. It is very important that that is not the case because we want people to use public transport. We need to be able to move people around. We also need more night-time buses; ones that are safe for people to travel on. Nitelink services generally operate from the city outwards. They must be available for people to get on in the suburbs and to get off further out in the suburbs if that is what they want to do. It would perhaps be useful for us to have a broad task force, but not to the extent that it becomes useless and is composed of 100 or 150 people. The business associations and Dublin Town are now employing community workers to police and patrol areas. They will not have a policing role but they will spot problems and they will be able to alert the Garda and local authorities. I know many people who work very hard in Dublin City Council at every level. I also know many people in the Garda Síochána who put their lives on the line every day. We must make sure that citizens, tourists, visitors and those who come to our capital city, and all cities - other Members will speak about other cities - feel safe and that they are safe.

The Minister of State outlined that more than 7,500 people have been arrested as part of Operation Citizen. That is a lot of crime. The more visibility we have the better as some people will be deterred. If we have a higher policing presence, more people will be deterred. I would prefer if nobody was arrested because nobody was committing crimes, but that is unrealistic. The sooner we get a task force going and increase the investment in policing presence, the better.