Some Fianna Fáil politicians from Dublin have voiced dissatisfaction with the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee over what was described as a failure to tackle lawlessness in the city.
This view was expressed at a meeting in Leinster House today attended by Jim O'Callaghan, Paul McAuliffe, John Lahart and Senator Mary Fitzpatrick.
A spokesman for the Minister said Ms McEntee and the Government have "consistently supported An Garda Síochána with funding and legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality".
"The Minister has overseen continued Garda recruitment to strengthen and support the force - this will see 200 Garda recruits soon enter Templemore every three months," the spokesperson said.
"This funding has also allowed An Garda Síochána to introduce dedicated operations to tackle anti social behaviour, such as Operation Citizen.
"In addition, the Minister is also introducing legislation to give Gardaí greater powers and tools to tackle crime - such as tackling the dangerous use of scramblers, greater access to CCTV and the use of facial recognition technology and body worn cameras."
The spokesperson added that Minister McEntee is also overseeing the rollout of new Community Safety Partnerships, with a pilot partnership under way in Dublin's north inner city - and an expansion of Youth Diversion Programmes.
The Minister has also asked the Garda Commissioner to review the operation of procedures and legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour to see what more can be done.
