Helen McEntee hopes to keep justice portfolio in Cabinet reshuffle
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Justice Minister Helen McEntee wants to keep her job under incoming Taoiseach Simon Harris’ new government.
Speaking at the 46th annual Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors conference in Westport, Co Mayo, Ms McEntee said it would be "a privilege to be appointed again".
However, she said it would be a decision for the incoming Taoiseach.
Rumours she may be moved from the justice portfolio have been swirling and new Fine Gael leader Mr Harris has spoken of the need for the party to return to traditional "law and order" values.
Ms McEntee has faced criticism that law and order have been eroding throughout her tenure, with those criticisms growing deafening after the Dublin riots last year.
However, Ms McEntee defended her record in the job, saying she has worked to crack down on domestic abuse and gender-based violence.
She said she was “focusing on keeping our streets safe, our communities strong, making sure our policing bill is implemented, making sure we get body cameras on gardaí in the summer, making sure facial recognition legislation passes with other legislation as well”.
Despite repeated calls from the AGSI for mandatory prison sentences for people who assault gardaí, she refused to agree to it.
Gardaí are facing increasing abuse, violence and threats and deputy general secretary Ronan Clogher said criminals who assault gardaí were walking free from court with suspended sentences "week in, week out".
Although the Government has increased sentences for assaults on gardaí from seven to 12 years, he said increasing sentences was immaterial if those sentences were suspended.
Ms McEntee said the Government instructing the courts in that way would infringe on the constitutional separation of powers.
“It's very important that I as minister don't dictate to any judge what they can or cannot apply as a sentence,” she said.
“I've reviewed this recently and the response that has come back to me, and it’s been quite an extensive review, is that this will be overstepping the mark here when it comes to my role as minister for justice.
“We have already increased the sentencing for assaults on An Garda Síochána frontline members, that's gone from seven to 12 years only in recent months.
“Today, I have also made very clear that when we introduce facial recognition technology and that legislation is advancing well, that it can and will be used for a member of the public who assaults a member from An Garda Síochána as well.
“But what I do need to do and what I have done in increasing the sentence is making sure that there are options available to our judiciary.” Other methods, like introducing body-worn cameras, would also help better protect gardaí, she said.
Ms McEntee also denied allegations the Government had “manipulated” Garda recruitment figures. However, she agreed with AGSI calls that the force required some 18,000 operational members — significantly more than the current Government target of 15,000.
“The target had been set at 15,000, I think we need to reach that first. I think we're making good progress when it comes to recruitment — 166 new gardaí just came out of Templemore last week. We have another class starting in the weeks ahead.
“We hit 746 going to the college last year so we're building real momentum. I think we need to get to 15,000 and acknowledging what they have said I think we need to go beyond that as well.”