Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

I thank the Deputy for his comments and remembering all of our colleagues. We are always very mindful of the ultimate sacrifice paid by some of our colleagues and the suffering of their families.

As I stated, Border policing is unique and very complex. I am very familiar with the specific issues in Dundalk. On moving members of the force there, I am sure everybody will appreciate that having a second colleague murdered in less than three years has a huge impact on the resilience of local gardaí. The movement of 22 gardaí and the sergeants to the region is to provide for operational resilience at a time when it is most needed.

We mentioned our allocation model. It is a question of ensuring, in so far as possible, that the correct resources in terms of personnel, the fleet and otherwise are allocated. We have a very specific and targeted operation across the Border counties. It partly involves our ongoing co-operation with the PSNI and other agencies north and south of the Border. Our clear objective is to make sure we protect communities north and south of the Border.

Most recently, the deputy commissioner for operations and Deputy Commissioner Ó Cualáin met a contingent from Dundalk and discussed in very great detail with it the specific issues that arose in the region. As the Deputy rightly pointed out, it is a matter of providing reassurance for the local community and ensuring there is visibility in the locality to ensure people know gardaí are there with them.