FF justice proposals will bring the fight to crime gangs – Breathnach
Published on: 21 January 2016
Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Louth Cllr Declan Breathnach says recent proposals unveiled by his party will help tackle growing rates of crime in Louth and other border counties.
Cllr Breathnach pointed out that Fianna Fáil has made a firm commitment to increase the strength of An Garda Siochána to 15,000 while also more than doubling the Garda Reserve to 2,500.
“Crime has been a growing problem across Ireland, but particularly in border areas such as Louth since Fine Gael and Labour came to Government. They have slashed Garda numbers, reduced the number of officers on the frontline and reduced resources used to tackle criminal gangs. The result has been an explosion in crime, especially in rural areas,” said Cllr Breathnach.
“Fianna Fáil is prioritising the fight against crime in our General Election manifesto. I can confirm that we will increase the number of Gardai to 15,000 in Government. This will undo the damage caused by Fine Gael and Labour as they reduced the number of officers in Louth by 12%. These increases in Garda numbers will allow us deploy additional Gardai to Louth who will be tasked with tackling cross border gangs causing havoc in our communities.
“We will also increase the number of Garda Reserves to 2,500 who will be tasked with providing direct support to officers on the frontline. This will also allow for more Gardai to be assigned to community policing duties which will increase the visibility of the force on our streets and roads. Investment in new technology will also be prioritised to ensure Gardai can access information as they need when on patrol instead of having to return to their stations.
“Fianna Fáil’s justice proposals represent a radical shakeup of policing in Ireland. They will ensure the Gardai are given all the tools they need to tackle gangs here in Louth. Our proposals are fully costed and demonstrate our commitment to tackling growing crime rates,” said Cllr Breathnach.