The recent “horrific” knife attacks in Dublin have heightened people’s fears and sense of danger, a Sinn Fein TD said.
Pearse Doherty said the “collapse” in the public’s sense of safety is due to the lack of gardai on the city’s streets.
His remarks come after a number of high-profile violent incidents in Dublin city centre, which resulted in serious injuries and a murder.
In response to the attacks, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he will strengthen knife crime laws, which will give greater power to gardai to stop and search people suspected of carrying knives.
Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty (Liam McBurney/PA)
He said the changes will be made to the Garda Powers Bill.
Mr Doherty, Sinn Fein’s finance spokesperson, said the most serious of stabbing incidents happened in Stoneybatter and in South Anne Street at the weekend when a man died following an incident.
“These horrific attacks and their devastating consequences have only added to people’s fears and to the sense of danger,” Mr Doherty told the Dail.
Addressing the former Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, he added: “Minister (for Education), is it not clear that knife crime and the carrier of knives is a real threat to people’s safety, because until two days ago, there was no indication that there were any gaps in terms of powers needed by the gardai to police knife crime.
“Not from yourself, not from the current Taoiseach, and indeed, not from Minister O’Callaghan, certainly not when Mary Lou McDonald raised the issue with the Taoiseach here on Tuesday.
“Yet the Minister for Justice now has indicated that new laws would be introduced to give gardai greater powers to stop and search people through the suspect of carrying knives.
“So my question to you, Minister is straightforward, and as a former Minister for Justice, who made that declaration that Dublin City was safe, do you now agree with the current Minister for Justice when he says that parts of Dublin are not safe.
“Does the Minister agree with the current Minister of Justice that current laws are not adequate to deal with the issues of knife crime and people carrying knives?
“And if that’s the case, why didn’t you do anything about it? And is it not the case that we simply do not have enough gardai on the beat to police existing laws?”
Ms McEntee said that she increased the penalty for those convicted of a knife crime during her time as justice minister.
She also said she recognised there are “challenges” in the capital city.
“When it comes to knife crime, this is an issue that I and that every person in this government and beyond takes extremely seriously,” she added.
“That’s why, when Minister, I increased the penalty for those who were found, not just carrying a knife in possession of a knife, those who threaten to use a knife, and of course, those who use a knife, reflecting the severity of this crime.
“The number of confiscations that gardai have, the number of seizures have increased significantly in recent years.
“The Police Powers Bill that you referenced, which I instigated in the department and which has been followed through, will make sure that gardai have even greater powers available to them to respond to these crimes.
“Of course, there are challenges in our capital city.
“Of course there are challenges, and I have never shied away from that.
“But I think we all recognise that it’s not just the role of our gardai, to make sure that people are safe, and that’s why two things have to progress.
“The community safety partnerships, which look at community safety from a whole of community perspective, making sure that our gardai, working with our local authorities, working with our community groups, working with our young people, our educators, our housing sector, and so much beyond that, that they come together and deliver a plan for their areas, and that includes Dublin city centre, that includes our capital.”