Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome. I acknowledge the record investment in An Garda Síochána under her leadership. Budget 2023 brought An Garda Síochána's total allocation to some €2.14 billion, an increase of €240 million in annual funding, nearly 20% over the 2020 budget.

I also acknowledge the increase in numbers in Templemore after the hiatus of Covid, and the fact that 100 new gardaí have attested so far this year, 470 are in active training and two more classes are due there in October and December. The Minister will be there in a few weeks' time for the graduation of another class. We are on track to have between 700 and 800 new recruits into the college in 2023.

Gangland killings have fallen dramatically. There were no gangland killings this year compared to brutal years we have seen, including during the Celtic tiger years.

In 2023 the Government sanctioned the roll-out of the three-year expansion plan for the Garda liaison network to increase the global footprint of An Garda Síochána to tackle organised and transnational crime. Two new regional liaison posts were created in Washington DC and Bogotá, Colombia, based in the Irish embassies.The Government has also approved the expansion of the Garda liaison network to Bangkok and Abu Dhabi. It will sign a special co-operation agreement with the Colombian national police in the coming weeks.

I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work carried out by the Garda, Defence Forces, Revenue and customs in the seizure of some €157 million worth of cocaine on a vessel brought into Cork Harbour in hazardous conditions. The Garda was hugely involved in what was a cross-agency operation. The scourge of cocaine is an issue that is not talked about enough. It impacts many different communities up and down our country. Some people can be casual users and think nothing of it, but unfortunately cocaine is having a huge impact on supporting and furthering international crime, in particular gangland crime. It is important that we acknowledge that and do what we can to stamp it out.

There were videos from Galway a number of weeks ago over a particular weekend. I thank the Minister for meeting me and city councillors and the mayor of Galway City, Councillor Eddie Hoare, and Councillors Frank Fahy from Galway and Clodagh Higgins from Limerick a few days after that. The videos painted a picture of Galway that is not a reality. It was a reality on those days, and I would like to commend An Garda Síochána on its work in identifying, apprehending and bringing people to prosecution over the past number of weeks in Galway. The videos certainly painted a poor picture of the city and it is not the Galway I know. It is certainly not the Galway I want to see in the future. I would like to acknowledge the engagement of the Minister with the Garda and its proactive role in policing, finding, bringing to justice and prosecuting people. There are ongoing cases. These were intra and inter-family feuds that were heightened by social media. What happened was not good enough. As I said, it happened in broad daylight in the middle of Galway city. The events were serious and, quite rightly, the Garda stamped down quite quickly and effectively on that.

The future of policing reforms have been the subject of some concern. I ask that the Minister consider how they operate and to liaise with the Garda. I have concerns. To move away from the geographical model of policing that we had has meant that in my area gardaí travel from Oranmore in the east of Galway city to Rosmuc, which takes them an hour and ten minutes with blue lights flashing, in order to reach the scene of a crime. Unfortunately, that is the reality gardaí face. I spoke to a garda this week who told me the new model is a disaster. I asked whether it was a common view and, unfortunately, he said it is. People want to know that a garda is within a short distance of them and that when they ring the Garda, a garda will come quickly. Unfortunately, under the new model that is not happening.

At a joint policing committee meeting, I said I saw no reason the bulk of Connemara is under the jurisdiction of Oranmore, which is across Galway city. At the meeting, I asked whether that was because there was a new building in Oranmore. The chief superintendent at the time told me that was one of the reasons. That is not good enough in terms of decision making. I know the Minister did not decide on this, but Connemara should be under the jurisdiction of a Garda station in Connemara not Oranmore. Such a decision is nonsensical and does not work.

The new headquarters are in Renmore, then we have Oranmore and Millstreet on the east of the Corrib. Councillor Clodagh Higgins brought concerns to the Minister regarding whether Salthill Garda station will continue as a 24-7 station. It makes no sense to me that the infrastructure is on the east of the city and not the west in Connemara. I ask that the Minister liaise with the Garda in Galway to determine how it can justify that decision as working because, unfortunately, I do not think it is.