Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I am glad to have the opportunity to debate the falling Garda numbers in my constituency, in counties Roscommon and Galway. It is an issue I have consistently raised and highlighted many times. I recognise the work of An Garda Síochána and its members across the State, as I know every Member of this House would do. In recent months in particular, we have got to know our community gardaí better because, unfortunately, there has been a spate of burglaries across Roscommon and Galway. Earlier this year, when this happened, it began in my home area of west Roscommon. I engaged with local gardaí and we arranged a community meeting, which was beneficial for local gardaí, community gardaí and the community. This is something that should be rolled out more often. Of course, it is difficult because the Garda resources are not there, but it should be looked at. On the back of that, we then rolled out more community alert areas, which are very beneficial. Muintir na Tíre also plays an important role in this regard.

The lack of Garda visibility across communities is a very serious issue and one that I feel is getting worse. I want to be clear that in everything I say in this criticism, it is not aimed at the gardaí themselves. They are under huge pressure and they are stretched.

I want to give one example, although I will not name the town, which is in my constituency. A number of business owners, elected representatives and gardaí met recently and the gardaí told us that this particular town was top of the list in regard to antisocial behaviour and an area of concern in regard to crime. We were told in no uncertain terms that there were no gardaí to put on the beat. What we were offered was a checkpoint and roads policing. That was totally unacceptable and, frankly, irrelevant to the issues that were being raised and that remain an issue in the town itself.

County Roscommon has two Garda districts, Roscommon and Castlerea. Before Covid, there were 171 gardaí in the county whereas there are 146 today. Castlerea district comprises four large towns, Ballaghaderreen, Boyle, Castlerea and Strokestown, and six villages, Tulsk, Keadue, Ballinlough, Elfin, Frenchpark and Rooskey. The census 2022 data tells us there is a population in those areas of 11,297 people and there are 68 gardaí in the district. Garda numbers have fallen in every single district in this area, from Boyle to Castlerea, and where gardaí were previously in smaller villages like Ballinlough and Elfin before Covid, there are now none in those areas. Again, that is a cause of concern for people who live in those villages.

The amalgamation of the Boyle and Castlerea districts in 2012 was a mistake as the area is far too large for that. I understand there are two Garda patrol cars at night in this area, which runs from Ballyfarnan at the top of north Roscommon to Cloonfad, a distance of 67 km. Two Garda cars are nowhere near enough. This needs to be reviewed and it is an issue I have put to the Garda Commissioner. There are just four community gardaí in County Roscommon. Unfortunately, the situation is no better at the other end of my constituency. Ballinasloe is the county town of Galway and has a population of 6,597 people, but Garda numbers have been falling consistently, year on year. Before Covid, there were 46 gardaí in Ballinasloe and there are 38 today. Community garda numbers in Galway have been falling, year on year, and are down to 21 at the moment between the city and county.

There is a serious problem. If we are going to get this sorted out, we need to recognise the problem. We need more gardaí and we need them on the beat.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I convey the apologies of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, who regrets she cannot be here for this matter due to another commitment.

As the Deputy will be aware, by law, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of Garda members and resources between the various Garda stations and divisions. The Commissioner is also responsible for operational policing decisions, including setting the opening hours of Garda stations. The Minister has no role in these decisions and she cannot direct the Commissioner or An Garda Síochána to change the opening hours of any specific Garda station. I assure the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner and his management team keep the distribution of Garda members and resources under constant review. This is done in light of operational needs and in close consultation with local Garda management in each division.

I can further assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. Budget 2024 provided the highest ever allocation to An Garda Síochána, over €2.35 billion, which is a 25% increase since 2020. This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff, which will in turn allow the Garda Commissioner to ensure that an effective policing service can be delivered.

The response to the latest Garda recruitment campaign has been very strong, with over 6,300 applying to become gardaí, a significant increase on the 5,000 people who applied last year. To assist with recruitment, the Government increased the training allowance and increased the age of entry from 35 to 50 years. The Minister also recently announced a significant increase in the training allowance paid to trainees, to €354 per week or almost double what it was just a year ago.

The Garda Reserve is also a big part of the Government’s plan to grow An Garda Síochána. I welcome that over 1,800 people have applied to become reserve members in a recent competition.

The Government is determined that An Garda Síochána will grow to 15,000 members and beyond, and it is taking action to achieve that. We are seeing growing momentum in recruitment and more and more gardaí are coming through the Garda College and onto our streets. The Minister was delighted last week to witness 108 new Garda members attesting at the third graduation ceremony of the year, while 165 members were attested in March and a further 157 attested in June.

A total of 135 new recruits entered the college this week for their first phase of training and we all wish them well.

I can inform the Deputy that there are, as of June 2024, 599 gardaí assigned to the Galway division, which is an increase of almost 7% since 2015. As of the same date, 33 probationer gardaí have been assigned to stations within the Galway division since 2020. As of June 2024, there are 581 gardaí assigned to the Mayo-Roscommon-Longford division. As this is a newly formed division, a historical comparison is unavailable. Since 2020, 44 probationer gardaí have been assigned to stations within this division. I assure the Deputy that the policies being taken by this Government will ensure that we can grow the number of gardaí to 15,000, which will benefit all parts of the country.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. I will say again that community gardaí and overall gardaí numbers in Roscommon are totally unacceptable, particularly in what is now the Castlerea district, which has two Garda cars every night covering a vast rural area of 67 km from one end to the other. I would like to see that area reviewed. The Garda Commissioner needs to look at specific measures for rural areas, town and villages, particularly areas where Garda stations have been closed. The reality is we are not seeing gardaí on the beat. When gardaí come to tell us this town is the biggest issue in the county for antisocial behaviour and crime but there are no gardaí to be put on the beat, then we have a serious problem. That problem has to be recognised by the Government if we are to solve it, which is something we all want.

Usually I raise this issue with the Minister for Justice. I know she is tied in that it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The Minister talks about the new operating model, more front-line gardaí and more Garda visibility but that is not happening on the ground.

I raise an issue I have raised repeatedly with the Minister and the Garda Commissioner, namely, Garda transfers. Many wonderful gardaí travel an hour or two up and down for 12-hour shifts and then coming home. A number of them in my county have looked to go on the transfer list; some of them are on it. They do not know whether they will wait six months or five years for a transfer. I do not understand why the Garda Commissioner cannot put in place a system whereby a garda who has served two years can be transferred to a base in his or her division that is within an hour of his or her home. It would give a garda trying to build a house or start a family some certainty. They have no idea whether they will be on the transfer list. They cannot get an update on whether they are on it or not. I have spoken to gardaí who have left the force because they cannot manage the commute and cannot afford to pay rent in Monaghan while building a house in Roscommon. It is not working. It is something we can fix but we are losing good gardaí because we cannot give them the little bit of certainty they deserve. It needs to be looked at.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this. I will feed back to the Minister's office what the Deputy raised about transfers. She makes a very good point. Gardaí come to us and say similar. The Minister has outlined that recruitment to An Garda Síochána is gathering momentum. The Deputy is right that Garda visibility is crucial to ensuring people are safe and feel safe in their local communities; so too are concerted efforts to tackle crimes like burglary. The Deputy spoke of a spate of burglaries in her area. Burglaries can be a traumatic and invasive experience that can impact on the sense of security people feel in their own homes, especially older people. The Deputy will be aware of Operation Thor, which tackles burglary and actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends. I am informed that since Operation Thor was established in 2015, there has been a 75% reduction in residential burglaries nationwide.

The Deputy joined me in paying tribute to An Garda Síochána. She was clear that she was not offering a criticism of the gardaí. The Garda crime prevention advice under Operation Thor is highlighted through public information campaigns and by Garda prevention officers, including the Lock Up Light Up campaign. I will feed back the issues the Deputy raised in her area to the Minister's Department.