Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Dublin West has seen a significant increase in population but Garda numbers have not kept pace. Limerick has a similar population size to that of Dublin West but it has three Garda stations and three times the number of gardaí. There has been a surge in criminal activity and antisocial behaviour in Dublin 15 recently. A key starting point was a double murder on Christmas Eve in Blanchardstown village. Since then, things have further escalated, with over 13 houses damaged by petrol bombs thrown in a targeted way. The homes of many innocent families were completely destroyed. Children and teenagers on scramblers operate with impunity, putting themselves and others at risk of serious injury or, worse, death.

I commend gardaí who are working in very difficult circumstances. I have met many constituents, business owners and youth and community activists who have all said the same thing, namely, that they rarely see gardaí on the streets in our communities building networks and relationships. As I said, this is not the fault of gardaí. I will pre-empt the Minister's answer and guess that he will mention it is the operational responsibility of Drew Harris to allocate resources. However, it is the Government's political responsibility to ensure our communities are safe.

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