Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few questions, but I will begin with an observation. The witnesses said they had held a number of public meetings and forums throughout the country. This is good. In my role as spokesperson on justice for my party, I have attended approximately 40 public meetings throughout the country, some of which were called by my party and others which we were invited to attend. I have observed from these meetings that in some urban areas there is a big disconnect between the public and An Garda Síochána. There is a lack of confidence in or respect for the Garda. Did the witnesses pick up on that in their engagement in different parts of the country? Outside of urban settings, communities are a lot more open, although they may have questions or have criticisms to make. Is there something the Garda Inspectorate can do to advise An Garda Síochána how to address this?