Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I mostly welcome the Bill and what it intends to achieve. Modern technology such as body cameras can help the work of An Garda Síochána as it tries to keep our communities safe.

I will mention the issue of Garda resources first because it has had a lot of attention recently with violent incidents around the capital highlighting how people do not feel safe in certain parts of Dublin city. I must say, it is not just in Dublin that communities are feeling let down and abandoned by a lack of Garda presence. There is a real lack of Garda resources being felt up and down the country. There has been a significant increase in violent crime, robbery and thefts according to the latest Central Statistics Office, CSO, crime figures. Homicide offences have increased by almost a third with 17 more people dying violently up to the first half of this year compared with last year. Robberies are up by more than 20%, while theft-related offences increased by 25%. Half of the increases related to thefts from shops, which was up a shocking 27% over the year. In Limerick, we are seeing multiple burglaries and car thefts in the Castletroy area and at the same time, we are being told that the very Garda unit set up to tackle this kind of crime is being disbanded. When one speaks to families in areas where antisocial behaviour can occur, they always ask first for a community police presence; the reassuring sight of a community garda either on foot or on bicycle, who is in touch with local communities and knows first-hand the challenges on the ground. Yet, where I live in Limerick, An Garda Síochána has informed us that it has had to cancel its entire community policing programme. There will be no community policing programme from November onwards in Limerick.That is the responsibility of the Minister. Respectfully, I suggest it is her failure and something she urgently needs to address. There is a huge concern about the impact of this decision. The pressure on the Garda right now is unsustainable. Morale is at an all-time low and something has to change. Garda Thornton from the Garda Representative Association has described current Garda resources as "threadbare", with gardaí "experiencing major difficulty in trying to deliver a policing service, feeling exhausted and worn out". They are his words, not mine.

The Government needs to address the recruitment and retention issues urgently because the Garda shortage is leading to a huge backward step in policing and in community policing in particular. Last week, we all saw at first hand the threat to politicians and staff on the doorstep of this building and the importance of having Garda numbers to deal with potential threats like that. Of course, I would point out that residents in direct provision centres have been putting up with intimidation and threats of violence from these far right thugs for years. I have not seen the same level of concern expressed for them that was expressed for us last week. Nobody should feel threatened at work in this manner, but this has become a far too regular occurrence for many.

We have also seen Garda members being attacked. I refer to incidents where Garda vehicles were rammed and Garda members injured. We have seen how vulnerable they can be due to a lack of support. They deserve to have the equipment and resources they need in order to better protect them. We need to support gardaí in their duties, and if the use of technology enhances their work then we must make sure that the Bill is drafted properly so that it is helpful and, insofar as we can, we ensure there is a balance between enhancing that important work and protecting the rights of citizens. The use of body cameras can help protect the public and gardaí, as will the use of dashcams in Garda vehicles. We know that the Garda Representative Association, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors and the Garda Commissioner have called for these measures for some time.

However, all of this technology must be treated with caution and we need to ensure that the recorded data are handled in a secure manner and with the utmost respect for data protection and the privacy of members of the public. We acknowledge the concerns of organisations such as the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, which has voiced its opposition to some aspects of the Bill, and we must take those concerns into consideration. That is why we will bring forward amendments on Committee Stage. We support the overall aims of the Bill and look forward to engaging with the Minister on Committee Stage.

My last point is related to the topic of crime and resources. I refer to the huge frustration that local gardaí in Limerick have expressed to me about the fact that the legislation to deal with scramblers which, as the Minister knows, has been signed into law by the President has still not been enacted. They are at pains to stress to me that the powers they need have to be delivered by the Government for the sake of all of the communities in Limerick.