Government Announce €10 million To Garda Visibility In Dublin

The Government have announced an extra €10 million in funding to increase Garda visibility in Dublin.

Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee has said that this funding will help to provide 240,000 extra garda hours, or 20,000 extra shifts. This would put more Gardaí on the streets of Dublin until the end of the year.

This announcement was welcomed by the Garda Representative Association, adding that overtime is being offered due to the lack of Garda presence on the streets of the capital.

This also comes as 180 Gardaí are expected to begin their training on Monday, with 87 new Gardaí graduating from Templemore's Garda College today.

Despite the Justice Minister's insistence that if this momentum is maintained that the Government is on track for 800 new recruits this year, this will still be 200 fewer than promised in the last budget, meaning that targets for Garda recruitment will be missed for the second year running.

This was an announcement which was still welcomed by the GRA, whose President Brendan O'Connor has said that the Garda's current overtime allocation cannot be filled, as members are fatigued and burned out, with the appetite for additional hours limited.

Helen McEntee has also promised that the Community Safety Plan will be published in the coming weeks, in the wake of the recent escalation of violence on the streets of Dublin. This is part of the Community Partnership for the north inner city, bringing together a range of agencies, organisations and groups to improve safety.