Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

High visibility works. The Minister of State, Deputy Browne, and the Minister, while visiting Cherry Orchard about 18 months ago, put in place a plan to clamp down on the antisocial behaviour we had been reading about and attacks on gardaí. Since then, reports show that incidents of antisocial behaviour are not as prolific as they were at the time.

On the issue of walking the streets of Dublin at night, as my colleague said, it is now considered a no-go to walk around town because it is just too dangerous. This is a new phenomenon. Speaking to friends and colleagues, it seems this has arisen since the Covid period when young people did not have stability or a structure in their lives and were pouring onto the streets of Dublin, drinking and getting into trouble. That affects passers-by on the streets who can become the victims of crime. During the summer, we had the case of a visiting American student who became the unfortunate victim of a crime. We know visibility works and recruitment and retention plays into that. We need to do a lot more on that. We need to ensure pay is right and there is respect. It is great that the body camera legislation is coming in because many gardaí do not feel safe. Gardaí getting up in the morning to go out and do their job have a chance of getting injured. When we go to work every day, we do not expect to come home injured but being a garda is a risky job. They should be paid in a way that corresponds to the risk of the job and to show our appreciation.

It is great to hear the Minister proposes to fund more juvenile diversion programmes. A large proportion of antisocial behaviour in the city is done by gangs of young people in the suburbs aged 12 to 17 years. They should not be out on the streets. They should be otherwise engaged in meaningful activities. A proper, well-funded juvenile diversion programme is really important.

All over the country, but especially in Dublin, Hallowe'en is a no-go time when it comes to going out at night because of those who are getting up to no good. The Garda always has Hallowe’en plans in place but it is important that these plans and Dublin City Council are properly funded to ensure there is a seamless lead-up to Hallowe’en night and that no gardaí are injured when attending antisocial behaviour or public order call-outs.