A key public meeting on the issue of crime and antisocial behaviour will take place in Navan next Monday. The Minister for Justice has been invited but has not responded yet. Throughout the summer, citizens and communities have been shocked by the increase in violent, unprovoked attacks on our streets. Citizens are not just in fear at night time but often in the middle of the day in certain towns. Restaurants are closing earlier, children are being mugged on the way home from school, lanes off main streets are no-go areas because of drinking and drug taking, sexual assault and rape have doubled in the past ten years in this State and every year that Deputy Helen McEntee has been Minister for Justice the number of gardaí has fallen. Every year we have a situation where attacks on gardaí are increasing. Hundreds of gardaí are retiring and resigning annually. We have one of the lowest numbers of police per capita in the whole EU. Morale is on the floor and recruitment to Templemore has collapsed. Why is the Government soft on crime?

That is a series of questions the Deputy probably needs to raise at Question Time with the Minister for Justice. We have an unprecedented budget for An Garda Síochána at more than €2 billion per year. It is the highest financial commitment any Government has ever made to the organisation. We are looking to grow numbers and investing in Templemore. The statistics actually show violent crime is down, not up, but I accept in many communities there is a feeling antisocial behaviour is increasing and people want to see an increased Garda presence. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is working with the Commissioner to respond to that.