LAST UPDATE | 23 Aug 2023

JUSTICE MINISTER HELEN McEntee has said that an enhanced Garda presence in Dublin city centre will not amount to “people with tasers or weapons standing on the side of the street”.

An Garda Síochána yesterday announced that funding of €10 million would be used for overtime hours that will allow specialist units to be deployed in the centre of the capital.

Information from the Garda Press Office referred to the force’s public order, canine and mounted units, but the mention of the armed support unit sparked controversy.

The initiative, dubbed Operation Citizen, will focus on “tackling street-level drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and seizure of alcohol in Dublin city centre.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast today, McEntee said: “I think there’s maybe a perception that we’re going to have armed gardaí standing on the corner of our streets. That’s not what we’re talking about here.

“The armed support unit has always supported Operation Citizen. They’re there in the vans … should there be a threat to life, should something get out of hand.”

McEntee, along with the gardaí, has come under pressure to respond to the issue of violent crime in Dublin city centre.

She said the priority of Operation Citizen was to increase the number of gardaí walking the beat in the city centre: “That’s what people want to see.”

“It’s not about people with tasers or weapons standing on the side of the street,” she said, adding that the deployments were “all about prevention where possible.”

Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis also said today: “We won’t see armed guards on the street on the beat.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, she said: “We will see what we always see are the armed support vehicles on patrol and as required and they will be available to respond and to support matters that require that level of expertise.

“What we’re trying to achieve here is a holistic approach to all of the issues that prevail in the city centre and across the wider Dublin region

Dublin Chamber

Business representative group Dublin Chamber has welcomed yesterday’s announcement, saying it raised concerns about “the increasing prevalence of menace in the city centre”.

Stephen Browne, the body’s head of public affairs, said: “Dublin must be considered a ‘safe city’, to attract the investment, business and skilled labour that fuels economic growth. Within the past number of years, and since Covid particularly, Dublin has experienced a heightened sense of menace.

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“We need a concerted plan for the city centre, including better policing, to make sure that Dublin is safe for workers, citizens, students and tourists alike.”

City centre business members of Dublin Town met with senior Members of An Garda Síochána, including Assistant Commissioner Willis, today.

The group said in a statement: “The city’s business community support the deployment of additional Garda resources to the city and, in particular, proposals to increase visible policing on city streets.

“We believe that this increased visibility will act as a deterrent to anti-social and criminal behaviour.

“The meeting also heard calls to engage all relevant stakeholders in addressing complex societal needs which can manifest as anti-social behaviour on city streets.

“There was a broad welcome for the re-institution of the Better City For All process which outlines how support for the most vulnerable in society can be provided in the context of developing an inclusive vibrant and welcoming city.”