Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague, Senator Fitzpatrick, on bringing forward this Bill. The truth is simple. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, on the street, and in their place of work but that sense of safety is under threat. It has already been mentioned today that Ireland now has the highest level of retail crime, per capita, in the world. I will let that sink in. Retail crime costs us an estimated €1.62 billion every single year. This is not just a statistic; these numbers represent real businesses, real jobs and real communities that are under pressure.

In my area of Tallaght, I can name several businesses that are the backbone of our community. The local shops in Glenview sit in the heart of the housing estate. They are a friendly place where people drop in for their essentials, but they offer something more. They offer a connection. If someone does not come in for a few days it does not go unnoticed. If someone cannot make the trip to the shops then a pint of milk might just be delivered to their door.That is what community means and we are risking losing it. Just yesterday, when I was scrolling through Instagram I was horrified by a video by a young Dublin business owner. She made the devastating decision to shut down her premises, not because of sales or footfall, but because she no longer felt safe. Her staff were being escorted to and from work by their partners and they had witnessed violence outside the shop. This is not how our retail workers should be forced to operate. It is just not right.

Let me bring Senators back to the 1980s in Tallaght. The Tallaght Town Centre was right in the village. It is long gone now, but to this day people my age and older still speak fondly of it. You were not really from Tallaght if your mam did not bring you there to get your confirmation outfit. A shop is not only a shop. It is where people go to buy their bread and milk but it is also where people chat, meet the neighbours, share news and form friendships. Let us be clear. Not to fiercely protect our retailers and retail workers would be to abandon something truly vital to our economy, but even more so to our sense of community. Let us stand up for those who stand behind the counters. Let us ensure our streets and shops are safe and not wait for more videos, closures and heartbreak before we act.