Dublin “still has its challenges” a year on from major rioting that occurred on the streets of the capital, according to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.
Three children and their minder were attacked – with one of the children left seriously injured – outside Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square on the afternoon of November 23rd. A man was subsequently arrested in connection with the stabbing incident. The incident sparked a far-right gathering in the city in the hours after the attack, followed by riots, arson attacks, clashes with gardaí and looting of shops.
On Saturday Ms McEntee noted the “truly awful incident” outside the school, saying: “so many lives were changed on that day”.
In a statement on Saturday Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire said the events of last year “were deeply traumatic experiences for our pupils, their parents, our staff and the wider school community”.
“From the moment the critical incident occurred our focus has been on helping the children and the wider school community – many of whom are still receiving therapeutic supports – to recover. We’re extraordinarily grateful to all who provided help and support at the time and since.”
On Saturday An Garda Síochána said it had identified 56 “persons of interest” they want to speak to about the Dublin riots following a “very significant ongoing public” response to the release of 99 images earlier this week. In the 24 hours to Saturday afternoon 14 people were identified and their images removed from the Garda website.
Meanwhile, asked if she could say Dublin is safer a year on from the rioting, Ms McEntee said the city “has its challenges”.
She said that everything she has done before November 23rd last and since “has been to support the people who are living, working, visiting our city centre, but also to support An Garda Síochána and the work that they do in keeping people safe”.
Ms McEntee said there was now a specific Garda operation to assist retailers with theft, assault and aggression in their stores, and gardaí have made “significant progress” with “about 20 per cent more convictions before the courts in relation to retail theft”.
She said around 65 per cent of new Garda members are being allocated to Dublin, and said Operation Citizen was relaunched last week “making sure that we have that continued high visibility”.
Ms McEntee said €9 million has been provided to support gardaí to get things like helmets, shields, riot vans and stronger incapacitant spray and there is a tender progressing for two water cannons.
She also said that gardaí in the city centre were using body cameras for the first time and they are saying this has the effect of de-escalating behaviours.
She was speaking at a Fine Gael press conference on their election proposals for “making work pay”, including proposals for cutting income tax.
Elsewhere Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin said people in communities and businesses were telling his party “that they don’t feel safe in parts of our city. It’s not just a question of the riot it’s a question of just everyday safety.”
He said “part of the problem is the number of guards, particularly community guards and guards on the street, has fallen in recent years”.
He added: “We also haven’t seen the adequate levels of investment in our communities, particularly our inner city communities in terms of sports, youth activities etc.”
Mr Ó Broin said Sinn Féin has a proposal to use at least €1 billion of the Apple tax money “to be invested in communities that have been left behind by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to create really positive pro-community infrastructure”.
