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Dublin branded 'unsafe' following latest assault

Members of An Garda SiochanaImage source, PA Media

At a glance

  • Fianna Fáil TD Jim O'Callaghan said that parts of Dublin were unsafe

  • He was speaking following an assault in the city on Sunday

  • The Department of Justice condemned the attack and said Minister Helen McEntee was committed to ensuring people are safe and feel safe in Dublin

  • Published

Parts of Ireland's capital have been described as unsafe following another assault in the city.

Fianna Fáil Justice spokesman and TD for Dublin Bay south Jim O'Callaghan has raised concerns about the levels of "open criminal activity" in Dublin.

Mr O'Callaghan was speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland following a stabbing on Grafton Street on Sunday.

The Department of Justice said Minister Helen McEntee was "committed to ensuring Dubliners working and living in our capital, and those who visit the city, are safe and feel safe".

In the latest attack a man in his 30s was taken to St James's Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The incident is the latest in a serious of high-profile attacks in the city, including a recent assault on an American tourist that left him in a coma, and another assault in June in which a man in his 40s was killed.

"Parts of Dublin are unsafe at certain times during the day and night and I think that's a problem," Mr O'Callaghan said.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Justice Minister Helen McEntee says she is committed to ensuring people feel safe and are safe in Dublin

Richard Guiney, CEO of Dublin Town, which represents businesses in the city, also raised concerns about safety in Dublin.

"There are clearly issues that need to be addressed, people don’t feel as safe in the city as they should.

"There are clearly issues in terms of how we deal with our social difficulties and vulnerable people," he said.

Both Mr O'Callaghan and Mr Guiney said there were not enough police on Dublin's streets.

The department of justice highlighted the recently announced additional €10m in overtime for An Garda Síochána (Irish Police) as well as progress that puts Ireland "on track to have between 700 and 800 new recruits" to its police force in 2023.

Mr Guiney said that while those announcements were welcome "we’d like to see more".

Mr O'Callaghan argued "you don’t see the same level of visibility of policing in Dublin as you do in other international cities".

Although both men conceded that more police did not represent a "complete solution".