Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has claimed that the planned increase of garda numbers in Dublin city centre is a “PR exercise” and that “even the Garda’s own dogs on the street would recognise a publicity stunt when they see one.”
In an editorial published in the Irish Mirror, the Dublin Central TD said “unconvincing assurances from the Minister for Justice that Dublin is safe will have come as cold comfort to recent victims of several high-profile assaults in the city this summer.”
“No amount of Government spin is going to make Dublin city centre feel any safer. Headline-grabbing press releases and ministerial walkabouts will do little to alter the perception that our once proud capital has become increasingly dangerous,” he wrote.
“While having additional gardai on the beat is to be welcomed, the plan is just a sticking-plaster solution that will have minimal impact on crime levels in the long-term,” he said.
Gannon, who has questioned the effectiveness of the Garda station that was opened on O’Connell Street said that “business owners and residents are sick and tired of hearing announcements of special operations to deal with anti-social behaviour and criminality in Dublin city centre.”
“What the city needs is a constant, permanently resourced Garda presence, not a short-term reliance on overtime.”
Gannon added that the plan including immigration checks is “disquieting,”, claiming that with “the worrying rise of the far-right in this country, it is extremely counterproductive to conflate the issue of asylum seekers with Dublin’s crime problems.”
While acknowledging there is no “magic solution to making Dublin safer” Gannon offered a number of approaches to tackling the issue, pointing to the pedestrianisation of Capel Street as an example of proactive city planning.
“Dublin’s physical appearance also affects how we feel about the city. Decades of creeping dereliction, along with the sight of boarded-up properties and heavily littered streets, have created a sense of unease in parts of the capital,” he said, and pointed to Capel Street as an example of what can be done.
“The pedestrianisation of the street, as well as improvements to shopfronts and an animated nighttime economy, have all contributed to making the area feel safer.”
The Dublin Central TD said that a “health-led approach to drug addiction will also be key.”
“Instead of criminalising drug dependency and wasting millions imprisoning addicts, the State should be investing in more residential detox beds and supervised injecting facilities,” he opined.
Gannon stated, “the city’s rejuvenation will be dependent on strong leadership and the political will to reverse years of shameful neglect.”