Sir, – I write in reference to the article “Plan to deploy additional armed gardaí in Dublin city centre criticised as ‘draconian’ by Government TD” (News, August 23rd).
In order to create public order and safety in the crime-impacted sections of the city, Dublin needs information and public sector collaboration, not heavy weapons and dogs. The deployment of tactical patrols and, God have mercy, canine units on the streets of Dublin will prove to be the exact wrong solution. One speaks from experience here. As the retired founding director of the Boston Police Department’s Strategic Planning Unit, I witnessed both the fatuity of “beefing up” and “cracking down” and the efficacy of collaborative strategy among key stakeholders from police to social workers to courts and clergy. Our guiding light? Prevent the next bad thing – such as a handgun homicide – from taking place. One does this by just, humane and intelligent focus on deterring the people most likely to commit the next bad thing.
Young men intent on anti-social acting-out are not deterred by assault weapons and paramilitary personnel. Such deployments feel good to people in authority, but do not deter alienated young men.
Such young people are deterred when they learn that all relevant stakeholders know who they are, where they live, where and with whom they offend and when and how they do so. The stakeholders are police, courts, social services, community leaders of all stripes, business leaders and clergy. – Yours, etc,
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JIM JORDAN,
(Boston Police Department,
retired),
West Roxbury,
Massachusetts, US.
Sir, – The deployment of armed gardaí, along with dog, mounted and traffic units, shows a strategy of policing more akin to what we see in South American countries such as Brazil or Ecuador. We know that armed strategies by police in general do not get the desired results but create a lethal-force policy that could have dire consequences for the public and police alike.
What would be sufficient is extra mobile, foot and rapid-response public order units to reduce the issues of anti-social behaviour and on-street assaults.
Throwing money at a problem for a limited period, without ensuring effective outcomes that can be maintained, is a disastrous approach.
Our Garda Commissioner and his band of merry senior managers would be well minded that we are not policing the streets of Northern Ireland, where terrorists are still a threat, but the streets of Dublin where groups of youths and adults are running amok.
Those groups of anti-social ingrates can be dealt with by blanket zero-tolerance policing, backed up by an effective court system that will punish miscreants involved in serious assaults and anti-social behaviour, with proper, effective sentencing or strict supervised community service orders on completion of sentencing.
Give foot patrol and public order units equipment such as tasers to deal with persons engaged in violent assaults who are carrying weapons like knives or other dangerous implements that could cause injuries. Armed response units should only be deployed as a last resort where there is an armed direct threat to the public, to unarmed gardaí, or in a hostage-type situation.
This deployment of resources in this instance is, I believe, overkill and could backfire on senior Garda managers spectacularly. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTY GALLIGAN,
(Retired Garda sergeant),
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – The headline “Armed gardaí to be deployed in Dublin city centre to combat violence” (August 22nd) is incredible. What will potential visitors think? That the violence is so prevalent that the Government moves to deploy “armed officers, riot police and dog units” on the streets?
Those affected by the apparent lawlessness – business people, workers and citizens – called for more gardaí, a highly visible presence, a deterrence, not the use of a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
The Minister obviously looked for value for money when declaring that €10 million would be made available for Garda overtime, but this response is more than a little “beyond the pale”. – Yours, etc,
PETER DECLAN O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet,
Co Cavan.