Visible Crime Falls 4% as Dublin City Rejuvenation Plan Completes First Year
Government reports progress on policing, waste management and landmark projects but acknowledges that improvements are not yet consistently visible to the public
4 August 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
High-visibility crime fell by 4% within a targeted area of Dublin city centre during the first year of an enhanced policing operation, according to the Government’s first progress report on the Dublin City Taskforce delivery plan.
The reduction compares with a 2% increase nationally, excluding Dublin, over the same period. However, the report acknowledges that investment in policing and street cleaning has yet to deliver a sufficiently visible improvement in how people experience the capital.
The Dublin City Taskforce was established in 2024 amid concerns about public safety and a decline in the overall city-centre experience. It proposed 10 “Big Moves” intended to rejuvenate the capital, subsequently organised into three delivery phases and five strands under a Government roadmap published in June 2025.
The first-year report, Building Momentum, covers Phase One, which focused primarily on establishing the structures, plans and institutional arrangements needed to support longer-term delivery.
An Oversight Board chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach has met nine times since July 2025. Dublin City Council is also putting an interim Programme Management Unit in place, staffed by 10 people with relevant technical expertise.
The unit will operate ahead of the proposed establishment of the Dublin City Development Company, a special purpose vehicle intended to oversee Taskforce initiatives over a period of between three and 10 years.
The new company will require the approval of Dublin City councillors and is expected to have an independent chair, dedicated budget, specialist staff and the capacity to attract external finance and private-sector participation. Its establishment is targeted before the end of 2026.
The Programme Management Unit and the new company will initially focus on developing a 10-year Integrated Area Strategy for the city centre. This is intended to coordinate the sequencing of public realm, transport, cultural and property projects while supporting private investment and employment.
Progress has also been reported on several major city-centre sites. The Government has agreed that ownership of the GPO complex should transfer from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport to the Office of Public Works.
The OPW will prepare redevelopment proposals for Government approval, supported by public consultation. A temporary “meanwhile use” is also being considered to bring part of the complex back into use while the longer-term plans are developed.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland acquired a site extending for approximately 200 metres along O’Connell Street in July. The acquisition will support MetroLink construction and place a strategically important city-centre site in public ownership for coordinated future development. Advance works are expected to begin in 2027, when TII is also due to seek vacant possession.
Other projects progressing under the programme include the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter, the proposed reopening of the Ambassador Theatre, the Abbey Theatre redevelopment, the refurbishment of the Fruit and Vegetable Market and the 14–17 Moore Street Commemorative Centre.
The tender process for the first phase of the Parnell Square project, centred on a new five-storey Dublin City Library, has been completed and is under review. Shell-and-core works at the Fruit and Vegetable Market are expected to be completed in July 2027, while tendering for the Moore Street project is targeted for the second half of 2026.
Public safety remains one of the central tests of the Taskforce programme. An Garda SĂochána introduced its High Visibility Policing Plan across parts of the north and south city centre in March 2025.
Within the designated area, robbery fell by 37%, criminal damage by 28%, assault by 14% and theft by 9% during the operation’s first year. Public order offences increased by 9%, while recorded drug offences rose by 17%.
The report says higher Garda visibility may have contributed to increased detection and reporting of some offences. It also acknowledges continuing concerns about on-street drug dealing, public order and whether people feel safer when moving around the city.
At the end of April 2026, 3,927 Garda members were assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Region. A further 235 probationers have since been assigned to the region. Between the beginning of January and 24 July, Dublin received 339 of the 567 probationer gardaĂ allocated nationally, representing 60% of the total.
Waste management measures have included the recruitment of 100 additional staff, bringing Dublin City Council’s waste management workforce to 576. Six new litter wardens have been appointed, including night patrols, while the litter-control vehicle fleet has increased to 15.
The city’s 24-hour cleaning zone has expanded from 2.75 sq km to 4 sq km and now contains 920 public litter bins, 236 more than previously. High-footfall shopping areas are being washed five times a week.
Changes to the presentation of commercial and household waste have removed around 2,000 plastic bags from approximately 200 city-centre streets each night. In the first pilot area covering 90 south city streets, illegal dumping reportedly fell by around 20 tonnes a month.
Dublin City Council issued 2,135 litter fines between January and early July, including 355 in the latest reported month. The city centre’s Irish Business Against Litter rating improved from “littered” to “moderately littered” in June, with Dublin’s north inner city recording its best result to date.
Public realm works valued at €2.5 million were completed on Talbot Street in 2025. Improvements are also progressing on Cathedral Street, Cathal Brugha Street, North Earl Street, O’Connell Street and Dame Lane.
Under the Love the Lanes programme, works on Coles Lane and Talbot Lane have been completed, with further interventions planned for Dame Court, Mabbott Lane and Andrew’s Lane.
Pedestrian-focused works on Capel Street and Parliament Street were completed during 2025 and 2026. Almost 1,700 submissions were received on the preliminary design for College Green, with 81% of respondents indicating that they liked the proposal.
The Government said the first year had established the organisational groundwork and advanced a number of priority projects. However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged that the investment must now produce changes that people can see and experience when walking through the city.
The next phase will focus on establishing the Dublin City Development Company, finalising the Integrated Area Strategy, advancing consultation on the GPO and developing a coordinated plan for vulnerable groups and on-street services in the city centre.
