Mattie McGrath warns of Garda shortages in County Tipperary

I want to highlight to you today the serious and alarming low levels of Garda availability across County Tipperary. We are supposed to have 380 Garda to cover the county. In fact, unfortunately, 45 of them are out and long-term sick, and I wish them well. Many of them injuries from the line of duty, and I support the Garda all the time. I also want to do so within the context of the proposed division reorganisation, a move that will see Tipperary lose its division and headquarters after it was transferred to Innes in County Clare. I might say a decision that was done without any consultation with the GRA or anybody else. As an example of just how serious the situation is, I want to alert you and the Minister of Justice to the following example which took place over the course of one week in the town of Carrigan Shore with a population of 7,000 people. I have the roster here in my hand, thanks to the Garda Sheikana, because they are so frustrated. As an example of just how serious the situation is, in the town of Carrigan Shore, as I said, on the Wednesday of that week, there were just two Gardaíes due to work in Carrigan Shore. One Garda was taken to Clare to drive the patrol car, leaving one Garda for the entire town of Carrigan Shore from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and indeed, the town of Fedot, Kilchilin, Kilcash, Ahenny and Faheen, those villages also. And Thursday was court day, so there was no Gardaí available either. On Friday, there were two Gardaíes due to work in Carrigan. However, both of them were directed to Clare to take a president from Clare to a court in County Carrigan. Astonishingly, this left Carrigan Shore with no Garda presence whatsoever for the entire Friday of that week. I want to remind you, Tisha, that there is a town of 7,000 people, I might say very law-abiding, decent people, who pay their taxes and work hard and deserve to be supported. On the Saturday, there was only one Gardaíes on duty, the other Gardaíes was on leave. The on-duty Gardaíes was directed to Clare Melbourne, would you believe, to perform a checkpoint, leaving Carrigan yet again without any Gardaíes. I want to say about Sergeant Mick Hubert and indeed his Gardaíes colleagues in Carrigan, who have given excellent service, but they are dragged away from it and they haven't enough numbers either. You must agree, Tisha, that this is an intolerable situation for the people of Carrigan Shore and indeed for the ordinary rank and file. Imagine how the ordinary Gardaíes, men and women, who know his or her community, must feel having to leave their, in fact, to leave their town and their areas completely unpatrolled. It's shocking. Father Paul Warden and community activists held two meetings last year, and they held it this year, because of the whole issue pertaining to mental health and suicide and the proliferation of drugs in issues in the town. We got tokenism from Senor Gardaíes, they came down and met us and promised the sun, moon and the stars. It has diminished significantly since then, and I, as a public representative, have to call on Mr Flanagan and you and his officials to rectify this immediately. We needed at least five new Gardaíes in Clarmel to augment us. We had it in Rosgrave last week, where there was an incident down the street, a brawl, and the day after, there was no Garda to open the Garda station the morning after in Rosgrave, a man had to come from Nina, an officer from the court in Nina. It's shocking, right through Tipperary. But in Carrigan Shoe when the Clarmel district was stabbed, we don't have the equipment, we don't have the parole cast, we don't have the personnel. So, Taoiseach, this new reconfiguration, without consultation, is not going to work. It's going to lessen the impacts. And I'm told by the GRA already that places where the pilot project was carried out for these reconfigurations, that bureaucracy has increased instead of what we're being told, it'll reduce bureaucracy and allow more Gardaíes out on the beat. It's not happening. You must strengthen up what Gardaíes have so far. You must support them, give them the tools of the trade to do their job, and show them the respect that they deserve, because they do deserve respect and support, and they want to serve their people. But they've been handcuffed themselves, they've been blindfolded and restricted, and taken out of the town of Carrigan Shoe, which is appalling. Thanks very much, Deputy. This Government's policy is to be tough on crime, and tough on the causes of crime. And part of being tough on crime is providing more resources for the Gardaíes, and also making sure that the Gardaíes Shea Khan is reformed, so that those resources actually turn into Gardaíes on the street, on the ground, where people want to see them. And that's really what all the reforms are about. Having fewer chiefs, but more Gardaíes, more policemen and policewomen on the streets. Fewer policemen in offices, more Gardaíes out and about where people expect to see them. And the Government is 100% behind the Commissioner in driving those reforms, and in providing him with the additional resources he needs to make them happen. In relation to Tipperary, in the past three years, the number of Gardaíes has increased from 354 to 385, and the number of civilian staff has increased from 32 to 66, and this will continue as resources allow. The total Garda force now is 14,200 nationwide, supported by 2,700 Garda staff, which means that the force is now at its highest ever level with its highest ever budget of £1.88 billion next year. Indeed, since I have become Taoiseach, over 1,000 Gardaí have been recruited, and up to 700 more will be recruited next year. A big part of the reforms that are happening as well is civilianisation, making sure that work that can be done by civilians is done, so that Gardaíes are freed up to do frontline policing duties, which is what we want them to do. There is a redeployment of 500 experienced Gardaíes now to frontline services, and 250 were redeployed in 2018 as well. That means the process of civilianisation has already delivered a total of 750 more Gardaíes, those who were in offices and admin roles, now back on the frontline where we want to see them. In terms of the location of Garda districts, and also the headquarters of those districts, they are very much operational matters for the Commissioner to decide. When the Commissioner was appointed and recruited, we gave him the assurance that he would be properly resourced, but that also he would be given the freedom to reform the Gardaíes he saw fit. I am glad that he is doing that. There are other examples of divisions that are two counties put together. It works well. The location of the headquarters shouldn't be a huge issue. It is different to an ambulance base or an emergency department. It is an administrative location, and the Commissioner decides where it makes sense to locate those. All those things that you said there, this is fact. This is from a member of the Gardaíesing Corner who is afraid for his community, for the people he wants to please. Commissioner Harris, I am astonished with him because he obviously hasn't engaged with the GRA or anybody else. The GRA also say that the Government's policing reform plan looks like it is being built on quicksand, following the budget allocation of £81 million. It will go nowhere near what they need this year, with all the additional costs and recruitment. And we are picking up recruitment. You didn't listen to me Taoiseach. I said there was 380 Gardaíes. I said there were 45 of them out long-term sick. So they are the two figures. We are setting up two new units that the last Chief Superintendent Kyo should have set up and she didn't. One to do with sexual crime. We are going to populate that with ten members of the Gardaíesing Corner and two servants from the already existing numbers. Plus another unit that the Commissioner is rolling out as well. This can't be done with the basic numbers on the ground. Policing can't be supported. Any police force can't work without the support of their people. And the people are willing, ready and able. Neighbourhood Watch, the Clarity, community groups to support the Gardaíes. But they must see them. They must meet them. The Gardaíes must be able to stand in their kitchens and meet them. And the principals in the schools, Kevin Langton and many others, do a great job. The Musical Society with a proud record of culture and heritage. But we have been decimated with Gardaíes numbers and the drug epidemic and as an extension, mental health and other crime and mental health issues are proliferating and there's no services available. We don't have one long-state bed. So we need Gardaíes put into Carrick and Shure and other towns and villages. And not all just flowery reports here of what you're doing or what you will do or what you won't do. It's a kind of a doot-bearn lum, go doot-bearn leahy. Goaref Gardaíes tip-a-dawn. They're not there, Taoiseach. And would you please listen. Taoiseach. Thanks, Deputy. We're doing exactly what you suggest. We're making sure that there are more Gardaíes on the beat, more Gardaíes on the street. That's why 700 more Gardaíes are going to be recruited in 2020. It's why civilianisation is happening, taking Gardaíes out of office jobs, out of admin jobs and making sure they're back on the front line. And it's why the restructuring is happening. To make sure that there are fewer chiefs, fewer people in offices and more sergeants and inspectors on the ground in the community. Less bureaucracy and less duplication at Gardaíes senior level. And more decisions made at local level. And that's why I'd ask you to get behind these reforms. Because these reforms and these changes are exactly what will deliver what you want. More Gardaíes on the street, in communities where we want to see them. Thank you. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi, you. Hi, you're welcome. Hi. Hi, you're welcome. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. It's a special welcome to the United States of New York, and we want to see them. I'm glad we're starting to just go ahead and be here today. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.