Leo Varadkar on Dublin: ‘No city is 100% safe’

Dublin is a safe city when compared with others in the western world, and no city is 100 per cent safe, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar said that while he is concerned about individual negative experiences that people have in Dublin or anywhere else, there are also “counterfactual” stories from people who have very positive experiences in Ireland.

On November 23rd there were violent clashes between large groups of people and gardaí in Dublin, with vehicles set on fire and shops looted. This followed a knife attack on three young children and their care assistant outside a primary school in the city centre.

These events put a firm political focus on safety in the capital city, with Opposition parties claiming that reduced numbers of gardaí contributed to a situation where parts of the city are no longer safe. Sinn Féin also tabled a motion of confidence in Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, which she easily survived.

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At his end of year media briefing with political journalists, Mr Varadkar was asked about the issue of safety in Dublin.

“There’s no city that’s 100 per cent safe,” Mr Varadkar said.

“If you look at something like the murder rate, for example, in Ireland or Dublin, compare that to other countries or other major cities, you’ll see that Dublin and Ireland are relatively safe relative to other countries and other cities in the western world. But there’s no place that’s 100 per cent safe and I acknowledge that.

[ How far right-sparked violence dominated the year in policing during 2023 ]

“What I say to people is that we’re taking actions in all of these areas, increasing Garda numbers and Garda resources, making our laws tougher, with tougher sentences in particular, appointing more judges, expanding our prison places.

“[There is] also a big focus now on community safety partnerships, because it can’t be all just about a law and order response. Other things are important too, including things like street lighting, like cameras, like engaging with different services around addiction and mental health and so on. That’s the approach that we’re taking.”

Asked how he responded to accounts from individuals who have been assaulted in the capital, the Taoiseach said: “Of course I am concerned about individual negative experiences that people have in Dublin or anywhere else. That’s something you’re very aware of and very exposed to as a politician.

“Somebody would have maybe a very bad experience of our health service. But I’m also aware of the counterfactual or the other sides of the story, if you’d like, the huge number of people who have a very positive experience of our health service, for example and say so when surveyed. The same thing applies to people coming into town, coming into our cities and coming into our country. Most people, thankfully, don’t experience being victims of violent crime in Dublin or anywhere else,” he said.

“While it’s really important that we listen to and acknowledge the stories of people who have a very bad experience, we have a responsibility as politicians and journalists not to make the mistake of thinking that bad experiences are the majority or are the norm.”

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