“Government is all ears” on crime issue, says Harris

Minister Simon Harris said that Government is “all ears” when it comes to the crime issue.

Dublin has found itself back in the headlines for unwanted reasons following the assault of three British tourists in Temple Bar on Friday evening, and Harris, who recently served as the Minister for Justice while Helen McEntee was on maternity leave, said “we always need to do everything that we can to support our communities, to support our capital city.”

Harris was grilled by journalists at an event on Sunday to commemorate Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith, and defended Fine Gael’s record on the issue of crime.

He said that his colleague Helen McEntee has “taken a number of very important steps to support the gardaí in tackling criminal justice, law and order, public safety issues not just in Dublin but across the country,” and pointed to the recent crop of recruits from the Garda college in Templemore and additional Gardai added to the streets of Dublin as an example of how the issue is being dealt with.

“There are a whole load of other issues that need to be addressed when it comes to our cities,” Harris said, and claimed that the city council has a role to play in addressing the issue.

Responding to criticism from members of the opposition that Fine Gael’s efforts have been lacking, he remarked “I’d shudder to think what a Sinn Féin minister for justice would be like, and I’m not yet ready to take advice on law and order from Sinn Féin quite frankly.”

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Fingal Louise O’Reilly said that locals, tourists and members of the gardai “all deserve to be safe” in Dublin, and said that “Fine Gael are failing them.”

Fine Gael has held the Minister for Justice brief since it returned to power in 2011.

In response to the Friday night incident, a Department of Justice statement said: “Minister McEntee has said that violence on our streets will not be tolerated and has to be dealt with in the strongest possible manner.

“Those who perpetrate this street violence and thuggery will be brought to justice.

“The Minister has assured An Garda Síochána that the Government will provide whatever resources are needed.”