Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has condemned last night’s savage attack on Talbot Street and reaffirmed her call for a greater visible Garda presence in Dublin’s city centre.
She said the spate of attacks in the capital city in recent weeks is a cause of great concern, and called on the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to get real about keeping communities safe.
Teachta O’Reilly said:
“I want to extend my sympathy to the individual concerned, and to wish him a speedy recovery.
“I call on any potential witnesses, or anyone with any information about this attack, to come forward and support the Gardaí in their investigation.
“Such attacks have no place in our society. But, unfortunately, these kinds of attacks are becoming increasingly common in our capital city.
“Sinn Féin, along with our party spokesperson on Justice, Pa Daly, and TDs and councillors from right across Dublin, have held a series of meetings in recent weeks with communities, workers and business owners across the city centre.
“They have all relayed their exasperation at the lack of a visible Garda presence on our streets. People feel vulnerable and are concerned for their own safety and that of their communities, co-workers and customers. They feel our streets are more dangerous than they ever were before.
“And it will not be lost on them that when Bank of Ireland wanted protection for their ATMs on Tuesday night, no stone was left unturned to exhaust Garda resources to do so. But the priority of any government should be for its police service to protect its people.
“Dubliners, those who call this city home, tourists and Gardaí, all deserve to be safe but have all been failed by Fine Gael being in government, and being in charge of the Department of Justice, for 12 years.
“Helen McEntee needs to get real about keeping our communities safe. Fine Gael’s failure to recruit and retain Gardaí is a major issue – and the people of Dublin and in communities throughout the state are paying the price for that failure.
“Sinn Féin, as outlined by Pa Daly, has a plan to keep our streets safe, protect our communities, and support Gardaí.”
Sinn Féin’s ‘Keeping Communities Safe’ document can be read here.
