Ryan calls on the Minister for Justice to provide more Garda resources for Kildare and Laois.
Sinn Féin TD for the Kildare South constituency, Patricia Ryan TD, has called on the Minister for Justice to provide more Garda resources for Kildare and Laois.
Speaking in the Dáil last night (Wednesday) Patricia said:
“I would like to commend An Garda Síochana for the work they have done, especially in the very trying circumstances laid out by Covid-19. Unfortunately they are being let down by underinvestment, neglect, and by a system which needs root and branch reform.
The report of the COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF POLICING IN IRELAND was launched with great fanfare in September 2018 and promptly left to gather dust on a shelf in the Department of Justice. It seems to be a habit that the last government developed, paying for reports on how to fix various issues, and then ignoring the recommendations of these reports. I include in these ignored reports the Duffy Cahill report, which was to prevent another Clery’s style closure. Unfortunately, because the government failed to implement the report, Debenhams workers are over 220 days on the picket line looking for a fair resolution to their dispute.
I recently asked a parliamentary question as to why Monasterevin Garda station had no Gardaí rostered to be present in the station for 2 consecutive full days earlier this month. The question was disallowed by the Ceann Comhairle because the Minister has no responsibility for the matter as it was a matter for the Garda Commissioner. Local Garda management tell me they don’t have enough Gardaí, surely this is a matter that the Minister can comment on.
Monasterevin is not the only station in Kildare and Laois experiencing low Garda numbers. The report on the future of policing heralded a new approach to policing and community safety, with a key aim to ensure that police are more visible in communities. If the government takes one thing from this report, I would ask them to please look at Garda visibility. It is a massive deterrent to all types of crime. And maybe an increase on the fact that the whole county of Kildare has just 2 garda motorbikes and one 4 by 4 vehicle at its disposal, which would surely help with this visibility,” she concluded.