Labour condemns savage and sickening attack of two Gardaí in Ballyfermot
Labour justice spokesperson Aodhan Ó Ríordáin has today strongly condemned what he described as a savage and sickening attack on two Gardaí in Ballyfermot and said that an absolutely zero tolerance approach to assaults to workers in service of the State needs to be taken.
Deputy Ó Ríordáin said:
“The attack on two Gardai last night was savage and sickening and we as a Party wish both members a speedy and healthy recovery. The fact is that this appalling incident comes just weeks after Ballyfermot was in the spotlight over the ramming of a Gardai car. We know that there were some government announcements that more Gardai resources would be made available to support the community in Ballyfermot. We need to find out if this has happened, how many extra Gardai there are now, and if it has not happened, then why not?
“The reality is that we need to take an absolutely zero tolerance approach to assaults on workers in service of the State. They are the ones who put everything on the line to serve and protect working people, our families, and our communities. The role of social media in the aftermath of serious or criminal incidents like this also needs to be examined by the Minister for Justice.
“We can take action by adopting a similar initiative as my colleague, Duncan Smith’s Protection of Accident Victims from Non-Consensual Recording of Images Bill 2022. The Bill was drafted to counter a recent distressing and grotesque phenomena of images of road traffic images being shared online. We believe criminal incidents warrant the same kind of discussion and debate.”