Local survey finds trust in the gardaí

A LOCAL crime survey carried out by Fine Gael has found that 83 per cent of respondents believe An Garda Síochána are doing a good job but 61 per cent felt vulnerable to home burglaries.

Cllr Noel Rock revealed the figures in advance of a series of public meetings on policing taking place across the Northside over the next few weeks.

“It’s clear that An Garda Síochána are doing a great job with the resources they have, but that they need more vehicles and personnel,

? said Cllr Rock.

“Of the 61 per cent who feel vulnerable, a surprising 64 per cent admitted they didn’t always turn their alarm on when going out, or didn’t have an alarm.

“With 300 new gardaí undergoing training at Templemore and new vehicles due to be rolled out, I would be hopeful that Ballymun and Finglas can expand beyond their current fleet of 58 vehicles.

“I have also written to the Minister, given the popularity of the Garda mountain bike units (91 per cent of respondents felt these were effective), and suggested we consider a strong expansion of this programme, especially in urban areas.

“Another winner from this survey is the matter of crime text alerts, which 88 per cent of respondents agreed were a good idea. I am glad to see gardaí have started to roll this out in Ballymun, and have announced their intention to expand it in Drumcondra.

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Public meetings on policing have already taken place in Drumcondra and Glasnevin with further meetings in the Crowne Plaza, Northwood, on March 26 and in Ballymun on April 8.

Fianna Fáil is also planning a series of meetings on crime over the coming weeks.

“There is not one community in Dublin that hasn’t suffered a spike in burglaries, robberies, assaults, drug related crime or petty crime in the past four years,

? said party Spokesperson on Justice, Niall Collins.

“Some areas, particularly in the west of the city, have seen an alarming increase in violent attacks and gun crime. It’s extremely worrying and absolutely nothing is being done about it.

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