Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)

Over the past number of months, there has been a growing number of violent fire bomb attacks and incidents in Limerick city, particularly in the Garryowen, Ballinacurra Weston and South Hill areas of the city. On Sunday night, a man was injured by a petrol bomb thrown at a house. On Sunday morning, the emergency services attended another fire bomb in the city; a woman was treated for injuries sustained in that incident. This followed the discovery of a suspected explosive device and the torching of cars previously. Only this weekend, a teenager was shot in another part of the city. In September, a house was also set alight. Tensions between criminal gangs are running high and there is a real danger of a loss of life if these types of incidents continue.

These incidents are taking place in hard-working communities, where the vast majority of people work hard and provide for their families. They are being plagued by criminal gangs, however, that seem to operate without sanction. They have little Garda presence as across Limerick many areas have been left without a community garda. Are steps being taken to support the Garda in Limerick to ensure the perpetrators of these attacks are apprehended? We do not have enough gardaí out and about in communities in Limerick. The gardaí we have do an excellent job, but they can only do so much without additional resources. Will the Taoiseach speak to the Garda Commissioner to ensure resources, such as overtime and additional gardaí, which are needed to quench this rising thuggery before people die, are allocated to gardaí in Limerick?

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