Mattie McGrath slams Garda shortages, backs life sentences
Mattie McGrath addressed security and the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill, warning that shortages of Garda have left members, staff and citizens at risk. He criticised recruitment and retirement trends, urged increased frontline numbers, and said murder should carry a mandatory life sentence.
Garda numbers and public safety
He told colleagues the security situation has "deteriorated rapidly" and placed much of the blame on a lack of Garda numbers. He said recruitment is harder, retirements and injuries are reducing ranks, and warned that legislative changes alone cannot substitute for basic policing capacity.
Frontline injuries and operational risk
He condemned attacks on Garda members and said officers should not be sent to dangerous visits alone without backup. He cited two currently injured members and described the situation as "reprehensible and totally unacceptable," warning members of the public and towns are afraid to open their doors.
Criminal Justice Amendment Bill and mandatory life
On the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill he supported a mandatory life sentence for murder, arguing that "life should mean life" and that a slip‑shod version would be inadequate. He acknowledged complexities around underage offenders and said the bill must handle juvenile cases carefully.
Free legal aid and repeat offenders
He raised concerns about repeated use of free legal aid by the same individuals, saying many people appear in court repeatedly and suggesting stronger limits, while recognising the right to defence and trial.
Early intervention, families and community support
He called for earlier intervention in schools, homes and communities to prevent young people becoming involved in violent crime and said supports for families are part of the solution. He also warned of further fear in communities if cannabis measures come into force, predicting people may be reluctant to open doors in affected areas.
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I was at a briefing with the Count Cawler, and it's interesting about our security and about the security of members and staff, but Minister, yes, certainly I would like to comment on this situation, and it is very important that we do try and take all measures to, I suppose, protect all our citizens, not only members of the House here and whatever else, and I do think the situation is really, really bad at present, under your watch, Minister, it has deteriorated rapidly, and it's basically, a lot of it, not all of it, a lot of it is down to lack of Garda numbers, and I just want to remind you again, definitely, now, we're on the Criminal Justice Amendment Bill, very specific. Yes, I know we are, thanks, sir, yes, we are, and indeed there are amendments, and there are changes that need to be made, and some of them, as I said, are here, and some are missing, but we can have all the amendments bills we like, and all the different pieces of legislation, if we don't have basic numbers of Garda and Sheikana, and we don't have them, and I know, and we should cut out the spin, and, and, and, and, you know, the announcements of how many we're recruiting, because we all accept it's been more difficult to recruit Garda into Simplemore, and we all accept that, and we all accept that we must have people from diverse backgrounds, and we have some of them, which is great to see it, but we all, we must all accept that many, the retirement situation, and, uh, the situation regarding, um, it is injuries, and, unfortunately, we'll condemn any injury against a Garda member, and I have two myself at the moment, two excellent members, in the care district, who are brought out seriously injured from, from fighting to tax, and that's reprehensible, and totally unacceptable, but they shouldn't have to be visiting, uh, dangerous people on their own, with no backup, just an alarming situation, and, and, you'll all find it out, if you go cannabis in, in November, as is expected, or in January, February, either, because people in their homes are afraid, they're afraid, and they won't open the doors, and the gates, and lock gates, and everything else, and they might do in the towns, even the towns are afraid too, but they won't, so, um, um, the situation is, is, is, is very concerning, the whole situation regarding free legal aid, and, and, you know, the number of times, the certain, uh, not certain, but the hundreds, thousands of individuals, get it, repeated times, repeated, I'm out of view that, um, it should be, um, it should be, three strikes on your route, most definitely, I know the right to, uh, innocence, and right to, to, to, to trial, but right to defence, but this is, uh, become, you know, anyone that visits the court, any day, and see the same people, at the same time, in any court, anywhere, same in all the country. Deputy, Deputy, I must, I really love to stop you, but I've stopped a lot of TDs today, it's in relation to discipline, the mandatory life sentence to murder, the bill is about, so, yes, just please, direct ourselves to the bill. Yes, of course it is, and, uh, look, murder, and we've seen the murder of, of, of, um, members of Ghanishikana, we've seen murder of, of different people, any murder is the most heinous crime you can get, the taking of, of one's life, so, mandatory sentence, yes, of course, it should be licensed, and, and not, a slip-shot version of it, that is not life, life should mean life, because after all, somebody, uh, takes on a person's life, you have this situation then regarding, uh, underage, or, or, or, you know, young adults, or, not, of the age, so, um, that's a huge issue as well, and we can't have, and it, well, there is measures in this bill to deal with that, it's, it's a very difficult, delicate area, and the GLO system has operated, operated, as we know, over, over, over the decades, operated pretty well, but when it comes to murder, as this bill is dealing with, uh, there's, there's not really any room for juvenile liaison officer, because at that stage, it's too late, and it's, uh, life has been taken, uh, in, in, in violent circumstances, and, indeed, we must try and have early intervention, intervention in the schools, and in, not only schools, in the homes as well, and in the community, with these, uh, young people, no one wants a young person, they're not born into this country to, to go, uh, wrong, and to commit heinous crimes, and, um, it's helping for families as well, so I think we need more intervention, at an earlier level there also.
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