O’Brien brings together local stakeholders to discuss clamp down on Fingal crime

                     FF Justice Spokesperson, Jim O’Callaghan TD addresses
​                              Fingal public meeting on crime prevention

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Darragh O’Brien says the Government is failing to crack down on crime in Fingal, and needs to come up with new measures to protect communities in the North County.
Deputy O’Brien was commenting following his public meeting on crime and policing held in earlier this week St Sylvester’s Parish Centre, Malahide.

He explained, “The reality is that the people of Fingal have had their Garda presence severely curtailed and in fact, 1 in 5 Gardaí have been lost in Fingal over the past 5 years alone.
“This Government has long ignored the seriousness of the crime related issues in our region. Donabate and Portane are just two of the areas that make up a substantial portion of the population in the North County but that remains without any Garda resources. The Government has stalled on the re-opening of Rush Garda Station, despite continued promises. In the meantime, Malahide station operates on limited opening hours.
“Fianna Fáil's Spokesperson on Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD was on hand at the meeting to offer our party's vision on effective policing while Garda Inspector; Oliver Woods made some excellent and very important contributions. 
“It is clear from the huge attendance at our meeting that local residents are fed up with the implications of these cuts on our area. The value of a permanent Gardaí presence in communities and on streets in Fingal cannot be underestimated. 
“My party colleagues and I have been consistently raising the decrease in Garda presence across Dublin and Fingal in particular, on the floor of the Dáil. 
“We wish to see the introduction of additional measures to prevent criminals from targeting vulnerable people in Fingal. It is crucial also that increased resources are allocated for Gardaí to crackdown on repeat offenders. This Government need to get tough on criminals and protect communities in the North County”, concluded Deputy O’Brien. 

Local Councillor Eoghan O’Brien added, "The large turnout at our meeting highlighted the degree of concern that exists among people in the North County regarding crime and the lack of Garda resources.
"There was one resounding message from the meeting – the Government’s inaction on crime and the poor level of resources provided to Gardaí to effectively combat criminality across the community will no longer be tolerated.”