Justice minister 'got different response' than Simon Harris when pictured with gardaí

Justice Minister Helen McEntee had faced criticism after she was photographed with gardaí walking down Talbot St, Dublin, following the assault on US tourist Stephen Termini. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that she may have received a “different response” when she was pictured with gardaí in Dublin city centre compared to when interim justice minister Simon Harris was photographed in a similar situation.

Ms McEntee had faced criticism after she was photographed with gardaí walking down Talbot St following the assault on US tourist Stephen Termini.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Claire Byrne, Ms McEntee said that she had met with senior gardaí after the assault and that she had not gone for a “walkabout”.

“I met with them, I went into the station and, look, you know, people have criticised that, that is their right to do so, but my sole focus on that day was to make sure that I was engaging with the gardaí to understand what happened and how do we stop that from happening,” said Ms McEntee.

“I do not want any tourist or person coming into this city feeling unsafe, feeling that there isn't an adequate response, thinking that we're not listening to the concerns and that I'm not listening to the concerns.

“What I said very clearly on that day is there are issues and we will address them.” 

When questioned about whether Mr Harris had received a different reception when he was pictured alongside gardaí in a visit to Rathkeale in Co Limerick, Ms McEntee said that it might have been a “different response” but that she had to stand on her own record.

“Certainly, I thank Simon for the work that he did, and I think he did a very good job standing in for the six months but, you know, I think people need to judge me on the work that I'm doing and the results that I’ve had,” said Ms McEntee.

Mr Harris said that Ms McEntee was correct to visit the area where Mr Termini was assaulted and to meet with senior gardaí.

“I think situations aren't always directly comparable," said Mr Harris. "I visited Rathkeale at the request of local TDs and local ministers. I think I was about 72 hours in the job when I ended up there and we made a number of decisions in relation to the public order unit.

“Minister McEntee was, in my view, entirely right to do everything that she did but, more importantly, has taken very swift action in terms of extra Government [resources] that will make a real difference in terms of garda visibility on our streets.” 

Responding to the new Garda policing plan for Dublin, Ms McEntee said that armed gardaí would not be standing on street corners in the capital city.

We're not going to have, and I have to stress this, we’re not going to have armed guards standing on our corners with helmets and batons and shields.” 

She added that Operation Citizen, the policing plan for Dublin City, has been in place for two years and the armed support unit has always been on standby in vans to respond to incidents.

She added that the only change would be the addition of the public order unit, who will be in plainclothes or usual Garda uniforms and would be assisting gardaí, primarily at night.