Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

From the outset, I would like to make the point that it is good we have the opportunity to debate this motion, and I thank Fianna Fáil for bring it forward. Just in case there is any confusion in the Chamber or among the general public, Fine Gael has been in government for 12 years. Fianna Fáil has been in coalition with it since June 2020 and before that it propped it up in a supply and confidence arrangement. Effectively, it holds some of the responsibility for the crime we see and the confidence crisis in the Garda.

Fianna Fáil is entitled to bring forward the motion, but it has to share some responsibility for those issues. If it is in Government and supports the Government in the manner in which Fianna Fáil has, it automatically follows that it must carry the can of the consequences of the decisions the Government has made. It would give the motion more meaning and credibility if there was an acceptance of responsibility for the years it has supported Fine Gael in government.

From the perspective of Sinn Féin, I would like to identify the elements of the crisis which mean that people certainly feel less safe now in their homes. There is a perception that the city is less safe. Rightly or wrongly, that is definitely the perception among communities. It is because of Government decisions. There are fewer gardaí now than when Fine Gael took power. There are fewer Garda stations. There is a serious morale problem in the Garda which is reflected in its approach to the recruitment and retention of personnel.

The motion of censure from the Garda representative body arises from the low levels of morale that are in the force and the belief that they are not being listened to. The Government cannot just sit back on that. It must urgently respond to the issues raised by the motion. The exit from public services like the Garda is also taking place in other agents of the State. We are seeing the same happen in the Defence Forces. This morning, we spoke about the fact that there are eight naval boats but we have the capacity to have only two out in force. We are seeing the same with nurses and teachers, who are leaving Ireland and going abroad to work.

We have a serious problem with retention and recruitment in our public services. We also have a lack of gardaí in specialised units in Limerick and Dublin dealing with burglary and domestic violence. I am speaking on behalf of Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, but from Sinn Féin's perspective what we would like to do to resolve the crisis in the Garda is prioritise keeping communities safe by protecting them from crime and commence the biggest recruitment drive in the history of the State. We want to publish the Garda Reserve regulations to allow recruitment to resume and increase the recruitment classes by reviewing the training allowance and recruitment restrictions. We would appoint a retention task force to report to the Government within weeks and move gardaí away from non-core duties. There are also other more immediate measures that need to be implemented.

I would point to Sinn Féin's document, Keeping Communities Safe, in which we have called for more gardaí with a higher profile on the streets of Dublin. The recommendation in the report on the Commission on the Future of Policing should be implemented in order to free up more gardaí for front line duties.

The community safety wardens scheme should have established effective grassroots communication with State and community services, including youth workers. We know Dublin's inner city has been without a local drug and alcohol task force for over a year. That is not good enough. We also need to focus on diversionary processes. When it comes to crime and crime statistics, there is a lot of talk about gardaí and the need to enforce the law. However, we also need to prevent people from getting involved in criminality and leaving education early. A lot of resources need to be provided to encourage people into different paths in life.

On the protest last Wednesday, which led to a lot of Members and everybody else who works in these institutions feeling nervous about coming and going from our place of work, it is important to recognise that Members of the House and the Lower House stood with the same individuals who were involved in that protest only a couple of weeks ago and said they were interested only in preserving conservative values. Those same individuals who are terrorising librarians, forcing libraries to be shut, were involved in what happened on Wednesday. Members of this House and the Lower House stood with them when they were outside protesting about books.It is important that we all carry the job we have in this House with responsibility. If we flirt with the far right and open that Pandora's box, it will be very hard to put back on the lid. Those Members who lamented what happened on Wednesday and who stood with those same individuals only a matter of a few weeks ago, should reflect on that.