Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We need to talk about knife crime. Some 2,000 to 2,500 knives are seized per year currently, with 2,132 seized in 2023, and according to our colleague, Deputy Alan Farrell, that is an increase of 78% in the past seven years. The highest number was in 2020, during Covid, when there was a strong community presence. I think we all agree on the need for increased visibility of community gardaí on our streets and in communities. I sincerely hope the intensive recruitment campaign that is under way for 1,000 gardaí will do just that.

We have a fine tradition of community policing in Ireland. During this time of unprecedented population growth and increased development, and the change that comes with that, we need to keep it that way. A police force that is more about relationships, local knowledge and familiarity than force is what has made An Garda Síochána the trusted and respected organisation that it is today, and we need to keep it that way.

It is encouraging to know that the maximum penalty in the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1994 for possessing a knife in a public space without good reason or lawful authority was increased from one to five years in 2009, which is one of the most severe penalties in Europe. However, I believe we need an update from the Minister of State at the Department of Justice on the expert forum on antisocial behaviour, which he chairs and which includes a knife crime subgroup as part of the forum.

People are scared and they want to know what we are doing to tackle issues of police visibility, knife crime and antisocial behaviour. Just two days ago, there was the report on the youth diversion projects and how successful they are. We need more of them. We have excellent youth workers in our communities and we need more of them. We have the local community partnership clubs and we need more of them. We have excellent community gardaí and we need more of them. We have the strategies and we just need to support them more.

I want to pay my respects and offer my most sincere sympathy to the family of Aaron Keating, who was murdered in Ongar village at teatime on Tuesday. I thank the community for organising such a respectful vigil last night in order for the community to grieve.