Mr. Richard Kennedy:

We would like to see more Garda patrol cars throughout the countryside. The drop-off in the level of patrolling and visibility in the past few years is amazing. When I was involved in Macra na Feirme, I used to dodge my way around villages in coming home at night because there were so many gardaí around. Now I can drive thousands of kilometres without meeting a garda and know which is worse. Things have got so bad that I would much prefer to meet them. We are looking for increased visibility, which is imperative. I take the Deputy's point that there is a need for more gardaí, whether in urban or rural areas, but we certainly need greater visibility of patrol cars in rural areas. In the past gardaí lived in the community and had local knowledge, but that is no longer the case. What we need is a greater Garda presence, perhaps at community events. It is amazing that when such events are now held, gardaí nearly have to be paid to attend. That is moving in the wrong direction; we need to move in the other direction. Wherever people gather, gardaí need to intermingle. It is wonderful to see the success of community gardaí in urban areas.