Concern as numbers drop in Garda district

GARDA numbers at one of the hardest-pressed districts in the city have fallen by over 130 in the last seven years, it has been claimed.

During a debate in the Senate last week it emerged that the Dublin South Central division, which covers areas such as Crumlin, Sundrive, Kevin Street and Ballyfermot, has lost a total of 136 gardaí since 2010.

The issues were raised in the Seanad by Senator Máire Devine of Sinn Fein, who said the decrease in the number of officers had occurred in the context of unacceptably high crime levels in the area.

“There are serious issues with break-ins, illegal dumping, gang crime and other issues,” the Senator said. “It is an absolute scandal and needs addressing.”

According to the figures referred to by Senator Devine, Kevin Street Garda station has lost a total of 52 gardaí over the past seven years; Crumlin and Sundrive Road stations have lost 24 gardaí in the same period while Ballyfermot station is down 16 gardai.

The cuts occurred as a “constituency-wide survey” conducted by Sinn Fein last year found that some 20 per cent of people living in the area said anti-social behaviour was one of the biggest local issues.

“Crime, dumping, drugs and gangs accounted for 36 per cent of answers,” the Senator added. “There is no doubt these issues have not been dealt with because of the lack of gardaí.”

The Senator also highlighted the drop in the number of community gardaí, who, she said, were at the front line in tackling anti-social behaviour.

“A good Community Garda is transformative,” the Senator said. “They can make connections, build relationships and work with the people of the community.

“Yet in Dublin South Central we went from having 99 Community gardai in 2011, to only 30 last year. That’s a significant drop and the community are paying for it.”

In response, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, said the allocation of resources to specialist crime units had affected the number of gardaí in the Dublin region.

“This will be one of the factors taken into account by the Commissioner when considering the allocation of new Garda recruits,” the Minister added.

“I am pleased to say that 200 new gardaí passing out of the Garda College next week will be assigned to locations around the country with a particular focus on the Dublin Region.”