Rory Hearne

And the community has been calling and I've been calling for increased visibility of Gardaí

Because what that does then is people can't operate, the drug gangs can't operate in broad daylight, which they are doing right now.

So you wouldn't have this situation where people are walking around with guns that can then be dropped wherever it is and a child or someone else picks it up

This level of gang intimidation going on has been going on for a number of years.

It's been escalating.

I've been contacted by families in recent times whose windows have been smashed in.

These are people not involved.

We've raised it with the guards.

We've raised it with the minister.

This has been building.

And unfortunately, the question is, how bad is it going to get before we see a serious intervention?

Well, I would counter that in terms of actual experience directly.

But anyway, in terms of communities, what's been said and what's going on, and I think what Barry is failing to see is the actual reality of what is happening on the ground in communities across this country, particularly areas like Ballymun, Finglas, but areas of high deprivation in the north inner city as well.

There is a huge level of intimidation going on, a huge level of criminality, drug-related,

that is just being left happen.

There is open drug dealing going on, as I said, in parts of Ballymun, outside schools.

And I raised it directly in the Dáil.

People are being intimidated, windows broken in.

And this is a community that has been, you know, suffered for many, many decades, affected by deprivation.

And it's not the only community.