A Clare election candidate has hit out over the lack of a garda presence in rural Clare, pointing to what he’s described as “an explosion of drugs culture to the detriment of individuals, families and communities” in society.
As the first full week of campaigning nears an end, local candidates have been discussing issues affecting voters heading to the polls on November 29th.
Healthcare, rural crime and the decriminalising of drugs are among the issues being discussed today by local candidates in Clare, who are among the 19 so far to indicate their intention to run in the General Election ahead of close of nominations on Saturday.
As part of it’s manifesto, Fianna Fáil this week revealed plans to establish a rural crime unit and to boost Garda personnel resources by 5,000 officers to properly tackle law and order concerns.
Last year, 488 Gardaí retired or resigned from An Garda Síochána, outstripping by one hundred the 388 new recruits brought into the force, according to official figures, with numbers steadily declining since 2015.
As part of a discussion on Clare FM’s Morning Focus, one of Fianna Fáil’s three general election candidates in this county, Senator Timmy Dooley insisted it’s not overambitious to set a recruitment target commensurate with demand and need.
The Tulla Senator believes the terms and conditions of the Garda contract needs to be examined, however, to make the profession more attractive to those seeking employment.
A North Clare publican, who’s previously stated he’s given up ringing the Gardaí in particular instances, has hit out over the lack of a Garda presence in rural areas.
Lahinch-based Independent candidate Paddy Murphy claims the function of An Garda is prevention by presence and he wants to see extra resources diverted to community policing.
The Social Democrats candidate in Clare doesn’t believe the answer to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour lies solely in increased garda numbers, however.
Ennis-based candidate Hillary Tonge claims housing supports and services need to be put in place to prevent young people from engaging in anti-social behaviour and she believes all it will take is political will.
Nationally, Sinn Féin launched plans this morning to set up a new agency to manage immigration and is committing to halving the turnaround time for international protection applications.
In what will certainly be one of the more radical election manifestos People Before Profit is proposing to completely remove the cost of childcare for parents and to make public transport free.
Fine Gael is committing to scrapping the means test for the Carer’s Allowance, offering to immediately raise the income limit for the Carers Allowance to 2,500 euro a week immediately if returned to Government and scrapping it totally over a number of years.
Fianna Fail is pledging to bring down waiting times to a maximum of 12 weeks for all patients, as part of its wide-ranging health policy.
Both the Green Party and the Social Democrats are publishing climate policies today, while Aontú is launching its policy on agriculture and rural Ireland.
You can listen to the full interview here:
