Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being delayed. I welcome the representatives of Muintir na Tíre and commend them on their valuable work in the community. I have two short questions. They pertain to the debate on resources and the importance of Garda stations. It is not just a question of having the necessary resources but a question of the management of those resources. This aspect of the debate is frequently left out. It is a matter of what gardaí stationed in a particular station are doing during their eight-hour shift. Consider the community policing practices of the Metropolitan Police in London. A regular police officer spends at least six hours of his or her eight-hour shift on the beat in the community. In Ireland, by contrast, officers have not reached that number of hours. Do the delegates accept that the management of Garda resources, and not just the availability of resources, is a very important aspect of this debate?