Garda numbers cut by 25% in 'besieged' Ballyfermot station
A screengrab of the incident, in which a mob attacked two gardaí on Monday. Picture: Twitter
Garda numbers have dropped by more than 25% in the past 10 years in Ballyfermot Garda Station, which is battling renewed attacks against gardaí and “terrifying” levels of antisocial behaviour.
Figures show that strength of the station has fallen from 93 gardaí in 2012 to 69 at the end of 2022.
It comes as investigations continue into a trail of destruction caused by a 50-60-strong marauding gang — including more than 10 scrambler drivers — along a main road in Ballyfermot, south west Dublin, on Monday.
In an incident caught on mobile phones and circulated online, a mob attacked two gardaí, leaving one with head injuries after a missile was thrown at him. His partner drew his baton to keep the assailants at bay.
The gardaí had intervened when a woman was struck by a scrambler at a pedestrian crossing. They went to seize the scrambler when the group turned on them and forcibly retrieved the bike.
The injured garda suffered concussion, was hospitalised, and is now off work.
A number of cars were also damaged, including two Garda vehicles, as the scrambler bikes drove on both sides of Kylemore Road.
They tore up the grass centre of the main roundabout, in front of the local church and a short distance from the Garda station.
The group, mostly believed to be from the Cherry Orchard area, engaged in the crime spree as a violent “send-off” for a youth who died suddenly last week and whose funeral was on Monday.
Sinn Féin councillor for Ballyfermot, Daithí Doolan, said: “The level of destruction on the green in front of the church never happened before."
"Residents along Kylemore felt under siege, they were terrified. I think the gardaí were overwhelmed.”
An analysis of Garda figures shows numbers at Ballyfermot Station dropped from 93 in 2012 to 85 in 2018. In 2019, they fell again to 77 and last year dropped to 69.
“That 25% cut to Garda numbers mirrors the cut in funding to the local drug task force, local mental health services, and youth services,” said Mr Doolan.
He said there had been too many promises from ministers, including Justice Minister Helen McEntee who visited last November, but said those promises were “gathering dust”, when action was needed.
“We don’t want to see a return to the dark days of last year,” he said.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) joined calls from the Garda Representative Association for the Government to act on violence towards gardaí.
"We are fast building into a society where this is going to become normalised,” AGSI general secretary Antoinette Cunningham told RTÉ Radio. “We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where a member is fatally injured."
In response to Mr Doolan's comments, a Department of Justice spokesperson said: "The criminal events in Ballyfermot this week were completely unacceptable and disrespectful of both the community living in Ballyfermot and the gardaí working within those communities to keep them safe.
"The Minister strongly condemns any assault on members of An Garda Síochána and commends the members who were doing their jobs protecting the community in Ballyfermot in very difficult circumstances.
"Those who were responsible showed disregard for the law, for the gardaí who were carrying out their job, but above all a total disregard to the hard working people who live in the area and who should not have to put up with this on their doorstep.
"The Minister has been clear that no person is beyond the reach of the law and those showing contempt for An Garda Síochána will be fully investigated.
"Last November Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne announced the establishment of a new group to implement and co-ordinate supports for the Cherry Orchard community.
"Brendan Foster, a partner in Grant Thornton, former chair of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the current chair of the Cherry Orchard Development Group, is to head up the new Cherry Orchard Implementation Board.
"The model followed by the new Cherry Orchard Implementation Board (COIB) will be similar to the Drogheda Implementation Board, where an independent chair is working with government departments and agencies to progress projects and initiatives to improve safety and wellbeing.
"The Cherry Orchard Implementation Board will also be supported by a full time staff member, as is the case in Drogheda.
Mr Foster, supported by Dublin City Council and the Department of Justice, has been consulting locally to identify members and supports needed for COIB.
"There have also been very useful discussions with the Drogheda Implementation Board to utilise their experience and adapt it to Cherry Orchard."
The GRA is due to meet Justice Minister Simon Harris next Monday where it will press its demand for a special task force on violence against gardaí, morale, and resignations.
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