Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome. I thank him for facilitating this important debate on community safety. Throughout the recent general, local and mayoral elections I canvassed in, people voiced their deep concerns about Garda visibility. Whether I was speaking to young families, elderly residents living alone or business owners in city centres, the message was clear: people want more visible policing in order to feel safe and supported in their communities.

I will take this opportunity to highlight to the Minister of State two critical issues for us in Limerick. With a population exceeding 18,000, there have long been calls from residents for a Garda station at Castletroy in the east of Limerick city. It is one of Limerick's fastest growing suburbs and a major economic hub. It is home to the National Technology Park, the Annacotty Business Park, a thriving retail and hospitality sector, multiple primary and secondary schools and the University of Limerick, all of which draw in further thousands of people daily. It is a truly vibrant and growing area. In order to support this rapid population expansion and the projected continued growth in the area, we need a dedicated and fully resourced Garda station at Castletroy. I take this opportunity to raise the issue with the Minister of State.

I will also raise with the Minister of State the concerns of Limerick city centre residents and businesses. Limerick city is undergoing an exciting urban renewal with significant investment in buildings and public realm improvements. Significant efforts are being made by our locally elected councillors, our executive, the workers at Limerick City and County Council, our new mayor and a host of other stakeholders in civil society, including resident groups, Tidy Towns groups, cycling groups and pedestrian groups. They are all focused on improving the liveability of our fabulous city centre. Like many urban centres around this country, there has been an increase in antisocial behaviour, open drug taking and drug dealing. It is being done by a small minority of people but in very public spaces. It draws fear, frustration and intimidation from passers-by. This is threatening the positive work being done by very many people. Many of my colleagues have today expressed the need for compassion to be at the centre of dealing with those struggling with complex issues and addiction, which I understand. Equally, however, there can be no tolerance for aggression of intimidation in our city streets.

I commend the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, for their no-nonsense, straight-talking approach to tackling crime since taking up office. Indeed, the clear stance taken by the Minister following recent violent and fatal incidents in Dublin sent an important message, but that message must be matched with action. We need increased Garda numbers and community policing in our urban centres and streets. We must ensure that growing residential areas, such as Castletroy, have the policing infrastructure required to meet their growing needs. We must recognise that policing alone cannot solve these challenges. I am pleased to highlight for the Minister of State and the Minister an innovative programme being piloted in Limerick city. The community access support team, CAST, is a partnership between the Garda at Henry Street and the mental health services at HSE Mid-West to put gardaí and mental health nurses into a squad car, so that after an emergency call is triaged and a response is dispatched, there is both a mental health response and a Garda response in the vehicle to deal with whatever is unfolding when they arrive at a situation. I commend the officers in Limerick who brought forward the initiative. I wish them well in their important work with CAST. We look forward to the results after the trial period. I believe we will learn a lot and I hope it will be an example that we can roll out to the rest of the country.

My colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, highlighted the need for an expanded Judiciary. My colleague, Senator Clifford-Lee, and many other Senators in the Chamber highlighted the need for increased refuge spaces for women and children. I must highlight the urgent need for parallel investment in prison spaces. We need dedicated facilities to meet our growing population numbers and the growing incidence of crime unfortunately associated with that. We need increased investment in youth diversion strategies and increased supports for drug and alcohol addiction. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.