JUSTICE MINISTER HELEN McEntee has said that granting powers of arrest for a proposed public transport police has to yet be “explored”.

The draft Programme for Government was published yesterday afternoon and it pledges to create a “Transport Security Force” under the National Transport Authority.

This force would operate and have similar powers to the Airport Police and Customs officers.

The programme for government adds that the new Transport Security Force would “play a central role on Dublin public transport”.

McEntee said that while gardaí already carry out “specific operations on public transport”, the government has “agreed to have something similar to what you have in our airport”.

When asked if the officers on public transport would have powers of arrest, McEntee said “this has to be explored”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, McEntee acknowledged that there are “limited powers of arrest for those who are in the airport”.

McEntee asaid that the government wants to establish a transport security force “while at the same time expanding our Garda workforce and making sure we have as strong a presence as possible, not just on public transport, but right across the country”.

And when pressed on why it took so long to include the creation of a public transport police in a programme for government, McEntee said:

“We’d like to do everything at once when we’re in government, but you can’t do everything at once.

“What you can do is make progress and I believe that we have made progress, whether it’s in Garda numbers, developing stations, opening new stations in our capital city.”

Public transport workers have previously called for the introduction of a dedicated transport police to deal with anti-social behaviour.

Trade union SIPTU welcomed the inclusion of a new transport security force in the draft programme for government.

SIPTU’s transport division organiser Adrian Kane said union representatives will be “seeking an early meeting with the incoming Minister for Transport to ensure this commitment is a top priority for the Government”.

He said anti-social behaviour and violence on the public transport network has “intensified since the pandemic”.

SIPTU Sector Organiser John Murphy said that making the plan “a reality must now be the key aim of all stakeholders in the public transport sector”.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have clashed over the issue, with the former strongly supporting the idea.

It is understood that transport police will be separate to gardaí, but Fianna Fáil sources were keen to state that a Garda unit that is currently seen on public transport on occasions will continue and they will be tasked with covering larger areas also.

Sources say they intend for the new transport security to have similar powers as customs officers and airport police, stating that they will be “authorised officers” under the National Transport Authority.

It is understood that the intention is to give them the power of arrest, though it has not been made clear whether this needs to be achieved through legislation