Dublin’s public transport links can act as “corridors of crime”, a group of Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators have warned, with 70 per cent of the public having witnessed drug dealing and drug use in public in the capital.
Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan said the party was arguing for a separate statutory body to police public transport after the group’s proposals in this regard were previously rebuffed by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Mr O’Callaghan said he hoped this would be in the Fianna Fáil election manifesto.
“If you’re on a bus or a Dart, one thing you’re not going to see is a guard,” he said, adding that constituents were reporting feeling intimidated after dark on public transport in particular.
Dun Laoighaire TD Cormac Devlin said that there had been a welcome increase in policing visibility in the city and county after the riots – but said there was some distance to travel. “I think it’s improved but I think there can be further improvements on it,” he said – adding that on public transport there was a “real concern” that an element can board and change the whole dynamic of the service and cause intimidation.
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“What we can’t have is the Luases, the Darts and the buses effectively not policed and becoming corridors of crime where people can go about causing destruction and vandalism and attacks.”
Senator Mary Fitzpatrick said Garda days of operation had yielded results but said: “We want a garda presence that is meaningful to our communities.”
Dublin South-West TD John Lahart said the intervention from the Fianna Fáil members was “a call not to be complacent about what happened in relation to the riots ... we have to keep our foot on the pedal here in relation to policing.”
The TDs and Senators denied they were making a political attack on Fine Gael or the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee. Mr O’Callaghan said it was being raised by constituents and they had determined to find out more “irrespective of whether it’s politically embarrassing to people in Government”.
“It’s clearly the case that crime is an issue in Dublin ... that’s not an issue we’re announcing here for the first time.”
Dublin North-West TD Paul McAuliffe said the group had been raising these issues consistently in recent years. “We’re hearing on the doors how people want to make Dublin safer.”
The Dublin-based members said they want dedicated community gardaí deployed on a small area policing basis, dedicated members deployed to public transport and a 24/7 criminal District Court that would mean offenders could be brought immediately before the courts – something the survey indicated 90 per cent of the public would support.
The group is also looking for a zero-tolerance approach to drug dealing, antisocial behaviour in public spaces and residential complexes, with foot or bike patrols by Gardaí at minimum intervals of 60 minutes, alongside closer monitoring and enforcement of bail conditions for those awaiting trial.
They also want a review of the location and hours of operation of Garda stations in Dublin with a view to planning for additional stations to serve growing areas of population.
The survey of 1,500 people showed that 90 per cent of respondents supported a call for an expanded District Court service to allow faster processing of offenders, with 70 per cent having witnessed drug dealing and drug use in public, 65 per cent saying they saw antisocial behaviour in the city centre, and 90 per cent of the view that this behaviour has increased in the past 10 years.
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