Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has insisted the high-visibility Garda presence in Dublin city centre in recent weeks will be maintained despite the Government’s failure to renew funding for a policing surge.
A Government plan to surge policing in Dublin and shore up perceptions of public safety following street violence last year has quietly ended after the €10 million budget for the operation was spent and not renewed.
“I think people want to be reassured that there will continue to be that visibility of policing in Dublin city centre and that gardaí will continue to police Dublin heavily, and the Garda Commissioner has assured me that that will be the case,” Ms McEntee said on Thursday.
“The overtime budget for this year has actually increased by €28 million and I have no doubt that a significant portion of that will go to Dublin.
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“But whatever resources are needed to make sure that that high-visibility presence that we have had for the last number of weeks and months, that that is maintained, I have been assured that that will be the case.”
Richard Guiney, chief executive of the 2,500 member-strong business lobby group Dublin Town, said ending the initiative to boost the Garda presence in Dublin city centre was “wrong and short-sighted”.
He said the group engaged with senior gardaí on Thursday amid concerns over Garda visibility in the capital following the report in The Irish Times.
He said he had been assured high-visibility policing would continue, though gardaí will not be called in from outside the capital.
“Not to maintain it would be wrong and short-sighted and would have the capacity to reduce confidence in an area critical to the national economy and Ireland’s international reputation,” Mr Guiney said.
“Justice Minister McEntee should ensure the number of gardaí assigned to Dublin city centre remains above pre-November levels, at least. Reducing Garda numbers now has the potential to reduce confidence in Dublin city centre.”
Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly said it was “outrageous” that funding for the policing surge has now been spent and not replaced. “Minister McEntee continues to be out of touch and fails to grasp the severity of the fears communities in Dublin have,” she added.
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said the €10 million in Garda overtime announced for the capital last summer “was always going to be a short-term measure”.
“While the deployment of more gardaí on the streets is always welcome, you cannot police a city on overtime,” he said.
“Dublin’s business community, residents and visitors need to know what long-term plan will be put in place by the Minister and Garda Commissioner to ensure people feel safe.”
A spokeswoman for Garda Headquarters said the force “continues to have a proportionate and effective policing plan” in Dublin city centre under Operation Citizen.
Operation Citizen was implemented in Dublin city centre with the aim of providing reassurance to citizens, visitors and the business community.
“Members are assigned to Operation Citizen on a permanent basis from both Pearse Street and Store Street Garda stations and are supplemented by additional resources, including on overtime, as required,” said the Garda spokeswoman.
“An Garda Síochána currently has a budget allocation in excess of €2.35 billion, which includes an overtime budget of over €130 million for 2024.
“An Garda Síochána will continue to deploy gardaí on high-visibility patrols not just in Dublin city centre but across the wider Dublin region and the other divisions generally as required.”
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