Danny Healy-Rae: Garda gaps leaving Kerry exposed to drugs
Danny Healy-Rae spoke today to thank Gardaí for progress in the Michael Gean investigation and to warn that reduced station presence in Kerry's peninsulas is allowing drugs to enter via small harbours. He urged stronger local policing, better monitoring of piers and more oversight of people arriving in rural communities.
Danny Healy-Rae opens by thanking the Gardaí for the work they have done in Kerry and specifically welcomes progress in the murder investigation of Michael Gean. He notes the impact the tragedy had on the county and the desire among many people for its conclusion.
He raises concern about Garda stations not being staffed at all times, arguing that this lack of presence undermines efforts to eliminate drugs. He says drugs are coming to small harbours and piers, with no proper monitoring along the bay and visible activity in towns and villages.
He points out that local Garda used to know who people arriving in communities were, but that no longer seems to be happening. He warns that people living quietly in houses for days at a time, whose backgrounds are not known or vetted, create risks and that more command and oversight are needed.
Danny Healy-Rae frames these issues as a change from the Ireland people used to know and calls for greater Garda presence and monitoring in Kerry's peninsulas to prevent robberies, drug importation and other harms. He stresses the importance of bringing investigations to a conclusion and restoring confidence in local policing.
Praise for Garda work
Danny Healy-Rae opens by thanking the Gardaí for the work they have done in Kerry and specifically welcomes progress in the murder investigation of Michael Gean. He notes the impact the tragedy had on the county and the desire among many people for its conclusion.
Concerns about station presence and drugs
He raises concern about Garda stations not being staffed at all times, arguing that this lack of presence undermines efforts to eliminate drugs. He says drugs are coming to small harbours and piers, with no proper monitoring along the bay and visible activity in towns and villages.
Local communities and unknown residents
He points out that local Garda used to know who people arriving in communities were, but that no longer seems to be happening. He warns that people living quietly in houses for days at a time, whose backgrounds are not known or vetted, create risks and that more command and oversight are needed.
Consequences and calls for action
Danny Healy-Rae frames these issues as a change from the Ireland people used to know and calls for greater Garda presence and monitoring in Kerry's peninsulas to prevent robberies, drug importation and other harms. He stresses the importance of bringing investigations to a conclusion and restoring confidence in local policing.
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Transcript
I'm glad to get the opportunity to say a few words here on this, the Gamby today, because first of all I want to thank them for the great work that they are and have been doing in Kerry. It's a massive county and the distances are very great from all around, the peninsulas and everything. And we have to thank them especially for making progress in the murder of Michael Gean and we welcome and hope that they continue to bring this to the conclusion that's desired by many people, because he was, that Michael Gean was loved and appreciated first of all by his own family, but by the vast amount of friends that he had and it upset our whole county practically when this tragic episode took place around 12 months ago. I suppose what I have to say as well in relation to Kerry and the peninsulas, I think it's very regretful that Garda stations like Lorwick and Sneem that don't have the presence of Garda all the time. This fact is not helping the elimination of drugs, because we know that they're coming to the small harbours and piers and there's no proper monitoring of what's going on along the bay and there's drugs coming in every day, they're visible, we know they're visible in every town and village and community. They're coming from somewhere and more needs to be done to stop this. The other thing that's happening, there's people in houses in all local areas. Before, the local Garda knew who every one of these people were. Wherever they came in from, whoever they were, and as soon as they landed, the Garda usually visited them to see who they were and what they were at. And that's not happening now. And I see, fellas, no one in our locality, and I seem to, I know a lot of people, but there's people even in local parishes now, very local to me, and we don't know who they are. No one seems to know what they're doing. And some of them, you won't see them all day, they're inside in houses, you mightn't see them for a week. And we don't know what they're at or what they're doing. But certainly, it's not the Ireland that we used to know before. It's not that I want to know everyone's business or anything like that. That's not the thing. But there are things happening, and I don't think the Garda have the ability now to follow these people up before they do, we'll say, untold damage or carry out robberies or bring in drugs or whatever. We don't know what these people are doing, and there needs to be more command over people from different countries that come in. And we don't know what they're doing or where they came from, or have they ever been vetted. We don't really know for sure what's happening around us.