Garda funding good news for community

THE Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, Josepha Madigan, has welcomed increased funding announced for the gardai, saying it is good news for the area and for communities across Ireland.

“I am very pleased to see that Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, announced that she has secured Government approval for substantial additional funding to be provided to An Garda Síochána,” Deputy Madigan stated.

“The additional funds of €55 million will be made available for the remainder of this year (this figure includes €5 million previously announced in February). This funding is made up of €40 million additional Exchequer funding, plus €15 million to be funded from projected savings based on analysis of expenditure trends elsewhere in the Justice and Equality sector. 

“In my constituency of Dublin Rathdown crime is a major issue of concern and when I attended the recent Local Policing Forum many people noted that car theft in particular was a big problem. 

“This Government is making progress is the battle against crime,” Deputy Madigan added. “The CSO figures for 2015 show a decrease in most categories of crime and the Text Alert scheme and Operation THOR have both been a success. However, more needs to be done. This extra funding is very welcome.

“It means the gardaí have more resources to tackle crime.”

Deputy Madigan said Fine Gael was committed to bringing Garda numbers to 15,000, as well as providing an additional €46 million to the Garda fleet and €205 million for technology.

“I will continue to work to ensure gardaí have  the resources they need in the fight against crime here in Dublin Rathdown and across the country,” Deputy Madigan added.