Crime in Dublin has made the capital a “hostile environment” for those who live there, Cllr Mannix Flynn has claimed. 

Nationwide, An Garda Síochána notes there is an “ongoing and sustained reduction in recorded crime”. 

CSO figures recorded a 7% reduction in crime between 2019 and 2024, despite a 9% increase in the population. 

Despite this, Cllr Flynn feels that too many Dubliners think the city has a “serious amount of problems”, with crime one of the many complaints he hears about from constituents. 

“You're either stuck in a massive traffic jam, you're either stuck on a footpath that's broken,” he told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“You're either having to get beyond obstacles like plastic bags and rubbish bags.

“You have to deal with those who are begging on the street, you have to deal with those who are drugged up on the street or drunk on the street. 

“And you have to watch serious violence taking place on our street on a regular basis.”

Gardaí on Capel Street in Dublin. Picture by: Leah Farrell/ RollingNews.ie.

Overall, Cllr Flynn believes Dublin suffers from a “lack of vision” and this has created a “hostile environment” for those who live here.

“They're not really addressing the overall issues of drugs, homelessness, all of those particular issues,” he said. 

“And again, the key issue here is that when people go to court, there's no particular consequences.

“So, there’s a great disregard for law and order.” 

Cllr Flynn added that people desperately want hope - not more promises. 

“They want vision, they don't want, ‘Oh, listen, we're going to be on top of that by 2030’,” he said. 

“They don't want bland statements, they don't want that situation - they want to see the results.” 

Gardaí in Coolock. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/ RollingNews.ie.

Cllr Flynn continued that DCC CEO Richard Shakespeare has made a number of policy changes - but fears it’s not enough.

“He has made the streets a lot cleaner, he's trying to make the estates a bit more kind of safer,” he said. 

“But he's only one individual in an organisation that has 5,500 staff, 63 councillors, and in my opinion, after 16 years, is highly dysfunctional.”

Main image: A Garda raid in Dublin. Picture by: RollingNews.ie