Increase in garda numbers needed
Sinn Féin has denied that the timing of the launch of a new document calling for a crackdown on crime in Cork is electioneering.
The document, Towards a Safer Cork, recommends that a significant increase in garda presence in Cork city be implemented.
It also asks for increased opening hours in garda stations, particularly in rapidly growing areas.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice and Equality, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD said: “I’m beating this drum a very long time, and I’ll be beating this drum after the elections.”
He continued: “I think we have a strong track record. This is not the first time that we have put this forward. I have been raising this for months and months. I handed a letter directly to Commissioner Harris in February.”
The document, which was launched at Cork City Hall on Monday, makes a total of 20 recommendations with an emphasis on the importance of increased garda visibility as a means of crime prevention.
“Academic research shows that policing visibility is one of the most effective deterrents to crime and if people are seeing gardaí in their community on a frequent enough basis it effects the likelihood of crime happening. It also makes people more confident and settled and feel more secure within their communities,” said Mr Ó Laoghaire.
He added: “People want to see police on the street. People want to see gardaí in their community, and that’s the complaint that they have, that they don’t see Ggrdaí the way they used to once.
“We need to give people peace of mind. People need to feel that they are safe and secure,” he added.
Ireland currently has one of the lowest police-to-population in Europe, only employing 278 gardaí for every 100,000 citizens in 2016.
Mr Ó Laoghaire said: “We want to increase the number of gardaí to about 16,000 core members and maybe about 4,000 civilian members to try to make sure that they are out on the street as much as possible preventing crime and solving crime and tackling crime.
“Some of the recommendations could be implemented within a few months, some of them could take several years. It would probably take three to four years to bring the numbers up to 16,000,” he said.