Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal Charlie McConalogue has slammed the Government for its ‘outright denial about the seriousness of the rural crime epidemic’ across the country.
The Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald’s refusal to even consider reopening some of the 139 stations that they closed over the past five years demonstrates her complete denial about the gravity of the situation, claimed the Inishowen politician.
Deputy McConalogue commented, “This Government has completely lost touch with reality and appears to have no idea of how serious the crime wave has become. Every community across Donegal has been affected by crime, and over the past year the situation has deteriorated steadily. Between Q1 and Q3 last year, thefts and related offences rose by almost 15% from 217 to 249.
“There is no doubt that this huge increase is a direct result of the decimation of the Garda force in the Donegal district over the past five years. There are now 81 fewer officers across the county. Eight Garda stations have closed under Fine Gael and Labour. Communities are now genuinely living in fear, and the crime statistics would indicate that they have every right to be worried.
“Not content with slashing the number of rank and file officers across the districts, the Government has also depleted the Garda Drugs Unit. In 2010 the force had 12 Gardai attached to it, but that has now been cut to 8. This is a completely unacceptable situation, especially given the fact that the Donegal division is particularly vulnerable given its proximity to the border.
“I have highlighted the seriousness of the increase in crime in this region for some time but unfortunately my concerns are falling on deaf ears. This Government has begun believing its own hype and is refusing to address the situation. Communities across Donegal are being put at unnecessary risk because of the Government’s reluctance to acknowledge the problem and invest in proper resources.
“The past five years has seen an arrogant Government preside over the serious depletion and neglect of public services and a two-tier recovery. This cannot continue. Fianna Fáil wants to see an Ireland built on strong, safe and enterprising communities. We will not ignore the escalating crime levels and have already put tangible proposals forward to tackle rural and urban crime”.
