First half of year saw 20,000 prosecutions for Dublin city centre crimes

Sarah Slater

There have been 20,000 prosecutions in the first six months of this year as a result of various crimes occurring in Dublin city centre, figures released from the Department of Justice show.

For the same period, there were 13,255 charges, 7,654 summonses issued and €8.6 million drug seizures in the core city centre and €34 million in drugs across the wider city.

There has also been over 10,500 foot patrols since January as part of Operation Citizen, which focuses on high visibility policing in Dublin city centre.

Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis has also said Operation Citizen has 68 gardaí and eight sergeants dedicated to just foot and beat patrols.

Assistant Commissioner Willis, according to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, said that up to 48 new gardaí from the class will graduate on July 28th and will be assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).

The 48 for the DMR includes 11 to the North Central Division, headquartered in Store Street, and 10 to the South Central Division, headquartered in Pearse Street.

The remainder will be allocated across the Dublin Metropolitan Region by the Garda Commissioner.

Justice Minister McEntee said these figures show the value of police work in the area in response to calls by a former Lord Mayor of Dublin north inner city Independent councillor Christy Burke for more to be done to stop there being “no go areas” in the city centre.

Cllr Burke wrote to the Minister following the brutal attack on Stephen Termini, 57, from Buffalo, New York, who had been staying at a guesthouse on Talbot St who had just left his accommodation when the unprovoked attack occurred by a gang of youths at 10.40pm on nearby Store Street three weeks ago, seeking another Garda station in the area to be opened.

The father was viciously beaten and kicked. Emergency services were called to the scene and the man was taken to Beaumont Hospital with life altering injuries.

Cllr Burke is demanding that there should have been another Garda station along Talbot and Store Streets for years “but for some unknown reason this has not happened. Perhaps it’s down to the fact so many gardaí are leaving the force. I don’t want to see the city being run by thugs".

The number of gardaí based in Dublin's north inner city is down almost 4 per cent since the start of the year which is the biggest reduction of any Garda division.

“A Garda presence has been badly needed for years, not just recently. For example, Talbot Street is known by residents and business people as the street of fear,” said Cllr Burke.

“People will not walk up Talbot and Store Streets especially at nighttime and indeed think twice about it in daylight hours. There’s so much anti-social activity day and night there including, on street drinking and drug dealing and quite often blatant mugging.”

The Minister said that she “condemns, in the strongest terms, the brutal attack on an American national and wish the victim a speedy recovery. A juvenile has been arrested and charged in relation to this incident and is before the Courts. A second juvenile has also been arrested in connection with this incident.

“Whilst I cannot comment on ongoing Court proceedings, I commend the swift and diligent police work by members of An Garda Síochána so far in this case. Investigations are ongoing.

“People must have confidence they can safely walk the streets of our capital and a firm response will send out the message that we will not tolerate this thuggery on our streets.”

Minister McEntee pointed out that the newly opened Garda Station on O’Connell Street is providing a welcome, visible presence on the capital’s main thoroughfare, with around 420 proactive foot and bike patrols under the ongoing Operation Citizen from the station since it opened in March.

This followed the reopening of Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station in July 2022 – it includes a bespoke Crime Victim Support Suite, the first of its kind in Ireland.

She said that she is determined to build stronger, safer communities and increase safety on our streets by strengthening An Garda Síochána, introducing tough new laws and ensuring that communities have a real say in making their areas safer.

The Minister highlighted that many of the issues in the city centre cannot be addressed by An Garda Síochána alone, and gardaí work closely with Dublin City Centre, Ana Liffey North Inner City Partnership and others.

In addition, Dublin’s North Inner City is one of three pilot locations for the new Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs).

“The Partnerships will build upon and replace the existing Joint Policing Committees, bringing together Gardaí, local representatives, community organisations and representatives, and the Local Authorities and other State bodies, to draft a Community Safety Plan tailored to the community's needs.

“No one knows better than those who live in the community what is needed. The Dublin LCSP is due to launch their plan shortly,” the Minister noted.

The Partnerships recognise that community safety is not solely the responsibility of the gardaí, or the Department of Justice alone, rather it is a whole of Government responsibility. This is central to my Community Safety Policy.

Minister McEntee noted that she is “progressing the development of 400 additional prison spaces which would provide space for 620 prisoners as part of our prison modernisation programme".