Local Dublin North East T.D. Tommy Broughan has called for the maintenance and enhancement of Garda resources after receiving new crime figures from the Coolock Garda District.

The Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern and the Crime section of the Central Statistics Office have published the latest recorded offences at Coolock Garda Station for 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 after a request from Deputy Broughan to make these figures public.

The figures released to Deputy Broughan show that in 2008 there were 677 recorded offences for disorderly conduct, 547 for criminal damage (not arson), 597 for possession of drugs for personal use, 228 for burglary (not aggravated), 341 cases of theft/taking of vehicle and related offences and 284 offences for other thefts including handling stolen property.

Deputy Broughan said, "Unfortunately, the figures for the first quarter of 2009 have not seen any significant decrease in crime. For example in the first quarter of 2009 alone there were 126 cases of disorderly conduct, 152 cases of possession of drugs for personal use, 68 incidents of theft/taking of vehicle and related offences, 66 cases of other thefts including handling stolen property and 64 cases of burglary (not aggravated). It is clear that the crime figures for the whole of 2009 will very likely surpass the unacceptably high numbers we have seen for 2008."

"Given these figures it is very alarming that the Fianna Fail/Green Party government is presiding over cutbacks to frontline policing and an embargo on Garda recruitment" continued Deputy Broughan. "It is incredible that this government is happy to take Gardai off the streets and away from protecting local people and communities at a time when gangland criminality and anti-social behaviour is soaring and many residents are terrorised in their own homes."