Time for a dedicated Garda division to police public transport

WE’VE all seen it. You’re on the bus and it kicks off with the driver. You’re on the Luas, and the waft of cannabis can be smelt by all. You’re waiting on the platform for the Dart and someone starts verbally abusing a member of staff.

We’re all aware of it but the time has come to finally do something about this scourge.

Yesterday, transport workers who have experienced this type of abuse detailed to me and my fellow Oireachtas Transport Committee members the horrendous struggles they face on a daily basis.

The workers’ testimony confirmed the findings of a recent survey of more than 650 Siptu members employed across the bus, rail and Luas networks.

Just under 80% of survey respondents said drug use by passengers on public transport had gotten worse in the last 12 months.

Nearly three quarters said they witnessed drug abuse in their workplaces several times a month, while just under 20% said drug use was an issue they dealt with on an almost daily basis.

These are incredible figures that back up all of our own anecdotal experiences. The survey also focused on issues faced by ethnicminority-community staff.

Of these, more than three quarters reported incidents of racist harassment and abuse while at work. As with so many issues, this Government has just ignored the plight of these workers.

For too long, it has let the abuse of people going about their job continue to happen, but it’s time to do something about it.

The Labour Party is calling for the introduction of a dedicated division within An Garda Síochána to protect commuters and workers on public transport.

There have been plenty of kneejerk reactions from some in political circles calling for the introduction of transport police.

But we can’t continue to outsource these issues to private companies. The only way to deal with this is to set up a unit within An Garda Síochána, and not farm the job out to a private security firm.

Private security companies do not have the authority to detain people who commit violent or antisocial acts on public transport.

Instead, the focus should be put on recruiting and retaining gardaí to deal with the antisocial behaviour that is having an awful impact on those at work.

Of course, the are well-known issues around morale in An Garda Síochána, which the Fine Gael-led Justice Department continues to ignore. The failure to address the issues around conditions and pay within An Garda Síochána is having real-life impacts on communities nationwide, as well as in our cities, where this antisocial behaviour is particularly profound.

Gardaí continue to resign from the force in enormous figures.

In the first three weeks of January alone, 17 gardaí tendered their resignations from the force.

In 2023, 169 people resigned from An Garda Síochána. And 6,417 gardaí are set to retire by 2028.

There absolutely must be a concerted effort by Taoiseach Simon Harris and his Government colleagues to address the range of well-documented industrial-relations issues to ensure there are gardaí to protect all of our communities, and tackle the antisocial behaviours that continue to plague people on public transport.

Stopgap solutions won’t work unless there is a permanent presence of gardaí to deter the type of dangerous activity that is being reported and experienced by us all.

Our transport workers are the backbone of our society, ensuring that our cities and country keep moving. As the volume of people opting for public transport over the car continues to grow, it is crucial that everyone feels safe on public transport – those bringing us from A to B in particular.

THE demand for transport services in the future will only increase. To meet this demand, we must attract more people into careers in transport. This can only be achieved if workplaces are safe and secure environments.

More staff at transport companies and train stations, and inspectors for buses and rail carriages, can help reduce low-level antisocial behaviour. An increase in direct staffing will also assist the work of a dedicated transport unit within An Garda Síochána.

This Government needs to end the lip service and bring about a special division in An Garda Síochána to protect us all, today and into the future.