Keeping communities safe

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice Pa Daly TD and Dublin Fingal TD Louise O’Reilly recently launched the party’s proposals to tackle crime in Dublin. The document, ‘Keeping Communities Safe’, outlines key reforms to invest in Gardaí, recruit more staff, and ensure communities are protected from the scourge of crime across Dublin. Here, Pa Daly outlines the key points of the new proposals.

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My predecessor in the Justice portfolio, Martin Kenny TD, did much of the work in the proposal, so we owe both him and his staff a debt of gratitude for developing our stance on these important issues. 

In speaking to many of our Sinn Féin representatives in Dublin, there is a lot of fear and insecurity around crime. This is especially the case in work class and republican communities. 

Fine Gael have been responsible for the Justice Department for 12 years and, during this time, they have failed to give An Garda Síochána the leadership, investment, and support needed. They have failed to provide well rounded policies and there are multiple crises across the prisons, courts, and other parts of the justice system. 

‘Keeping Communities Safe’ proposes the following: 

• Increase the intake capacity for Garda training in Templemore per year with the introduction of a new hybrid training model. 
• Engage with Gardaí and their representatives to identify and remedy the cause of increased resignations from An Garda Síochána. 

• Conduct a Garda recruitment campaign and examine recruitment criteria to make the police more reflective of modern Irish society, including groups that are currently under-represented. 
• Establish public transport policing on specific DART, LUAS, Irish Rail, and Dublin Bus services to ensure that passengers are protected and can feel safe. 
• Provide improved resourcing to support the work of community Gardaí in specific areas across Dublin including an increase in new Foróige Youth Diversion Projects. 
• Review and extend the return of the proceeds of crime to benefit communities. 
• Ensure that those who exploit or coerce a child into criminality face up to ten years in prison if found guilty. 
• Establish new powers in relation to scrambler bikes. 
• Improve access to justice for domestic abuse victims.

In the short time since the launch of ‘Keeping Communities Safe’, there has also been a work stoppage by barristers, who have highlighted that both prosecution and defence work is becoming close to unviable. The work stoppage about fees briefly disrupted proceedings in murder cases and other violent crimes. 

Sinn Féin’s Alternative Budget proposals made provision for the process of restoration of fees and reemphasised the need for Garda retention to be prioritised through the creation of a Garda retention taskforce. 

Sinn Féin is clear about the solutions the state needs in the fight against crime. Put simply, it is time for change. Fine Gael, supported by Fianna Fáil, have been putting communities at risk for too long. A Sinn Féin Justice Minister for the 26 Counties would ensure the right policies and resources are put in place to ensure public safety. ✦

Pa Daly is the Sinn Féin Dáil spokesperson on Justice and is a TD for Kerry.