Community fund being used to pay for Garda overtime

Community representatives have raised concerns that a fund designed to help regenerate disadvantaged areas of Dublin’s north inner city is being used to pay for Garda overtime.

The North East Inner City (NEIC) initiative, which has an annual budget of €6.5 million, was established in 2016 “to oversee the long-term social and economic regeneration of the area”.

Its main task is to implement the findings of the Mulvey Report, which set out a series of recommendations to address problems in the area such as unemployment, drug addiction and criminal feuding.

The majority of funding goes towards local initiatives such as drug treatment projects, youth groups and refurbishment works.

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However, €1.1 million has been used to pay for overtime for policing in the area since since 2019. Local politicians have complained such funds should come from the central exchequer, as is the case for all other Garda funding, rather than a community regeneration fund.

Garda bicycles

Funds from the NEIC have also being used to pay for Garda equipment, including bicycles, protective equipment and a community policing van. Another €60,000 is being used to fund an educational bursary for serving gardaí to increase garda retention.

Independent councillor Nial Ring said the NEIC fund is having a "fantastic impact" on the area. "There's one area in speech and language therapy where they have brought down waiting times from 18 months to about 12 weeks. That's what it's there for."

But he questioned the use of funds to pay for Garda overtime. “That should be from central government funding.”

More gardaí on the beat are essential to make people feel safe, he said. “But they should have enough resources so we don’t have to spend €370,000 a year from the NEIC fund on Garda overtime.”

He said he has never heard of any other instance where a community fund has been used to pay for policing.

Drug ‘blackspot’

The fund is being used to pay for what the Garda calls "Operation Cribbage" which involves dedicated uniformed patrols of the area around Liberty Park and Railway Street. The NEIC previously identified it as a "drug-dealing blackspot" while Mr Ring said it had been a "drugs supermarket".

“These full-time, high-visibility patrols are supported by intelligence-led operations together with the assistance of Garda-operated CCTV, all providing a vital and dynamic policing response,” Minister for Justice Helen McEntee told the Dáil earlier this year.

The main focus of Operation Cribbage is “reducing community fear”. At least 140 people have been arrested under it so far and a number of suspects have been prosecuted. Its success has caused drug dealers to move into other parts of the area, the Garda said.

Cieran Perry, another Independent councillor for the area, said the NEIC budget was being used to “subsidise” policing in the area.

“It’s huge money,” he said. “That area needs the policing. You don’t want them to stop. But if there is a requirement for that level of policing in an area it should obviously be coming from the Department of Justice.”

Asked for comment, the NEIC said its chair, Michael Stone, was unavailable.