Minister for Justice offers to meet local community over shooting of six-year-old

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has spoken to the acting Garda Commissioner about the shooting incident in which a six-year-old boy was injured in Dublin last week.

Ms Fitzgerald told the Dáil the commissioner said progress was being made “with all necessary resources deployed”, after the attack at Croftwood Gardens in Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard.

The Minister said a Garda liaison officer had been appointed to assist the family and she was satisfied “everything possible will be done by the Garda to support the community and to follow up and make sure that justice” was done.

Ms Fitzgerald, a TD for the area, said she would be happy to meet representatives of the community in Cherry Orchard and had spoken to local parish priest Fr Gerry O’Connor.

She was responding to Labour TD Michael Conaghan, who said it was ironic "that any child should be in danger on his own doorstep. The very place where he should feel safest was attacked."

Mr Conaghan quoted from a letter he had sent to Ms Fitzgerald’s predecessor in August last year in which he said gang killings “are occurring with a regularity that now breeds acceptance. This is proof to the criminals who profit from these barbarous acts that it is their will alone that determines the limits to this behaviour.”

Will of the majority

The Dublin Mid-West TD said in the letter that the Government “must now demonstrate that the will of the 99 per cent can prevail”.

Mr Conaghan said that when people first moved in to Cherry Orchard 30 years ago there were no shops, school, church, bus service or playgrounds.

But through the dedication and hard work of the community, the parish priest and Dublin City Council, the area had been transformed. He said Cherry Orchard now needed more gardaí and resources to counter criminal activities. Ms Fitzgerald said the commissioner had assured her the Garda was working with the community and providing the best possible support on the ground.