11. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on his Department's engagement with the Department of Transport regarding the proposed transport security force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36531/25]

Sentiment score: 0.28

I appreciate the recent steps to improve transport security, including the increased budget of over €11 million for a security presence through the Department of Transport, Operation Saul and the new public transport hubs. However, we have to keep moving on the commitment to establish a transport security force. In 2024 alone, over 4,200 complaints were received reporting incidents of drug use, violence and sexual assault. Reports of antisocial behaviour on Dublin Bus have almost doubled since the pandemic and there have been incidents on the Maynooth line where schoolchildren have been targeted. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has recently engaged with the Department of Transport, which is positive. We need to keep those meetings going until there is clarity on the legislative framework, the powers and remit given to the transport police and the interaction of the transport security force with An Garda Síochána.

Sentiment score: 0.35

I want to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Dublin West. Some 120 new recruits were attested overall in June and 74 were allocated to Dublin. According to local gardaí in my area, only four came to the Garda's K district. Of 150 new recruits in March, 98 were sent to the city centre and four to the K district. The K district consists of Blanchardstown, Cabra and Finglas and is one of the busiest districts in the country. Last year, in one 24-hour period, it had more calls than all of the other Dublin districts combined. Gardaí in the K district have to deal with antisocial behaviour, criminal damage and assaults. I am told it has the highest number of domestic incidents in the country and it has gangland crime, as well as Blanchardstown town centre and Áras an Uachtaráin to manage. There are only four inspectors across three stations for a population of approximately 200,000 people. It is not sustainable. We have brilliant gardaí but we do not have enough of them. What needs to happen for the K district to get the same level of attention and allocation that is currently being given to Dublin city centre?

Sentiment score: -0.06

13. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the roll-out of local community safety partnerships in Dublin West; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36530/25]

Sentiment score: 0.25

I thank the Minister for bringing the regulations into effect for the local community safety partnerships so they can get up and running. This new approach will involve residents, social workers, youth workers, businesses, education representatives as well as An Garda Síochána and State agencies. The initiative is important to us in Fine Gael and I commend the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on developing this vision. Can the Minister provide an update on the roll-out of local community safety partnerships in Dublin West?

Sentiment score: 0.53

The Minister was very keen.

Sentiment score: 0.42

Community partnerships have the potential to truly impact community safety because intervention and prevention are not only the remit of the Garda. We have to bring local stakeholders to the table to tackle local problems with local solutions. I am wondering how the Minister will ensure residents know about this initiative. Will there be a local campaign or a local awareness drive? I believe €5.5 million has been provided to set the partnerships up. How does the Minister envisage these funds being spent? Will there be a community safety partnership office, for instance, situated in the community for people to access? There is also the community safety fund putting proceeds from crime back into communities, but it is only €4 million. The local partnerships, if they are working, will have strategies and recommendations and those solutions need to be funded and will not always fit neatly under local authority or State agency budget lines. I hope the Minister will take an active role in ensuring the partnerships are working from the ground up as well as from the top down.

Sentiment score: 0.17

I thank the Minister for the update. I will circle back to the matter of Garda numbers because community safety also depends on that. There should not be inconsistency across the districts in the Dublin metropolitan region. The K district might be losing out to the city centre at the moment but, historically, there have been inconsistencies with other Dublin districts as well. There is potentially one Garda for every 531 people in the K versus one Garda for every 397 people in a neighbouring district that has significantly lower crime statistics. Gardaí in the K are hungry, driven and dedicated, which is very evident when one works with them. The leadership is rolling out very positive and proactive initiatives. It has a very high proportion of gardaí who are still within their probation period. That is how new the force is in the district. Will the Minister examine the inconsistency and encourage evidence-based policy across population, crime statistics and geography? We need to receive the same attention as the city centre.

Sentiment score: 0.14