More Gardai needed in Dublin

Labour Dublin Senator Kevin Humphreys has said that more Gardai are needed to deal with crime in the capital.

It follows the publication of CSO crime statistics today, for the first time since 2016.

Senator Humphreys said:

“I am extremely concerned that the level of crime in Dublin is worse than the rest of the country but that there aren’t enough Gardai to adequately deal with it.

“The burglary rate in Dublin for example is twice that of the rest of Ireland according to the CSO, while detection rates were just 13% in the capital compared to 18% for the rest of the country.

“We’ve also seen higher rates of sexual offences, attempts and threats to murder in Dublin than elsewhere, as well as drug crime, damage to property and public order offences, all with lower detection rates inside the capital.

“There simply aren’t enough Gardai in Dublin to deal with this level of crime.

“Dublin Gardai are stretched to capacity with duties unique to the capital such as the defence of the 62 embassies that are based here, and the protection of the six million tourists who visit the city every year.

“Yet in the last Budget, the Government reduced the number of Garda recruits it had previously pledged to take on by 100.

“If the rate of crime in Dublin is greater that the rest of the country as these figures suggest, we need to see an increase in the number of Gardai in the capital immediately.”