Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Second Stage
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16
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Thomas Gould (SF), Cork North-Central

I raise an issue related to journalism, in particular local journalists in my area, in The Echo and Cork Independent , who I have worked with over the years. They deliver local, relevant and topical issues and news in Cork city. I have worked with them on confidential sources and people who come forward at the risk of their livelihoods because they believe the public has a right to know. I hope this Bill will not damage the relationship journalists have confidential sources. We have to be able to protect journalists and their right to be able to hold people in power to account. That is important.
I will raise a number of serious issues that arose in Cork over the summer. We had homes petrol bombed, we had shootings and we had vicious attacks using knives and other deadly equipment. We had a case where the house of a woman and her two young children was petrol bombed for no reason because criminals - and that is too good of a word for them - petrol bombed the wrong house. This woman was distraught. Her two young children were in bed when the petrol bomb was hopped off the house. Gardaí and forensic officers were there. The gardaí in Cork are doing their best but the problem is the allocation of gardaí and resources.
This woman now lives in fear that her house and her children will be under attack again. I have said at meetings in Cork with the Garda Síochána that petrol bombing should be a crime of its own. It should not be included with arson. If you petrol bomb a person's house, that is attempted murder. There is no other way out of it. We have seen families and people die because of people petrol bombing homes. Why is it not a separate offence and why does it not carry a much heavier sentence?
These drug gangs are getting away scot-free. We know these drug gangs are in Dublin and Limerick. We have the same vicious gangs in Cork and we have communities right across Cork who are living in fear. I am asking the Minister for help for those communities. Tragically, a number of young people have died by suicide over the summer - over a half of dozen in the past couple of years - because of drug intimidation, drug debt and the fear that these vicious drug dealers are bringing to communities. What is being done about it? To me, it is attempted murder that these young people took their lives because of the intimidation. How are these dealers being tackled?
I want to send a clear message to the gardaí. We know they are doing their best but the Minister is not doing his best. This Government is not doing its best because it is failing the Garda and failing communities who are living in fear while these criminals are attacking people in broad daylight in Cork city. They think they can get away with it. I will give a couple of figures before I finish up. Only six gardaí were trained in pursuit this year. It should not take people to die for the Government to act. For eight years, there has been a report there. For eight years, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have refused to act or have delayed acting. Cork has lost six Garda staff this year. We only got five probationary staff, one for the north side that I represent. From June to July, Cork saw a reduction of one Garda on roads policing and one community Garda. To give the Minister other figures, in 11 years Ballincollig has only got one probationary garda, Blarney has got only one, and Watercourse Road has got only one. There are 701 gardaí in Cork city at the moment. That is fewer than in 2020 and 19 fewer than at the end of 2025.
We need more gardaí on the street. We need communities to feel safe. I have listened to the Minister's party colleagues saying how great it is for them. It might be great for them but it is not great in Cork because we need more gardaí.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-16