Fianna Fáil councillor says Dublin is a safe city following fatal stabbing
Vivienne Clarke
Fianna Fáil councillor for the Pembroke electoral area in Dublin, Rory Hogan, has expressed his belief that Dublin is a safe place and is becoming even safer.
Hogan was commenting after a 21-year-old man, Qayyum Balogun, died following an assault in Dublin city centre in the early hours of Monday morning.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Hogan called on anyone who had information on the incident to contact the gardaí.
“This is a deeply disturbing incident and one that nobody wants to see occurring on the streets of Dublin. Incidents like these have profound impacts not only on the victim's family but also on the wider communities.”
When asked if he believed Dublin was safe, Hogan said he did, adding that because of the high visibility policing actions and changes that have occurred in recent years, the gardaí were on the scene within minutes.
“The gardai have done the best job that's possible to be done, and they were there within minutes. They were providing assistance shortly after the incident occurred. So I do believe Dublin is a safe city.”
Hogan acknowledged it was difficult to believe that the city was safe when incidents like this occurred.
“When incidents like these occur, we need to be sure to separate the emotional reaction to an incident like this to the overall statistics.
“The overall crime statistics in Dublin is down year on year and Dublin is becoming a much safer city than what it was a number of years ago. And I would commend the gardai for the actions that they've taken to reduce the crime statistics in Dublin.”
The incident will be discussed at the next meeting of the Dublin South East Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), of which he is a member.
“We need to understand whether there are any wider lessons to be learned and whether additional measures are needed to improve the safety in the area.
"The LCSP is a meeting with multiple agencies and multiple representatives of the community. And I think that's not necessarily the Garda on their own needs action, but sometimes there might be a multi-pronged approach to tackling this issue.”
It was important not to stigmatise young people because of the actions of a small minority, he added.
“The overwhelming majority of young people in Dublin are law-abiding and make positive contributions in their communities. And it's also important to note that while serious incidents do occur, they remain relatively uncommon and the overall crime trends have been improving in many areas.”
Hogan said the LCSP was a forum where the community could engage with the gardaí and where issues of concern could be flagged.
“One of the things that the LCSP is doing, has trialled in the North Inner City, is community safety wardens.
"It started in 2022 in the North Inner City, and it's basically a proactive and supportive approach to de-escalating events that traditionally lead to crises like this.”
