Mr. Drew Harris:

The modernisation of the workforce we are undergoing in terms of employing Garda staff is the main vehicle by which we will increase visibility, with the increase in the number of members and officers. We are in the fortunate position where we are able to genuinely say we will have more gardaí on patrol across the country. That is a really good place in which to be. I can see that the level of visibility will increase and that we will be displacing some members from their current roles.

It is not only newly trained gardaí coming out of Templemore but also members who will be displaced, in effect, from administrative roles or other roles out onto the ground and into the front-line roles.

The only thing I would say about the visibility piece is that more and more of our work is not in a visible space as a lot of the crimes against the vulnerable happen in a private space. Things like violence towards children online and child abuse online, domestic abuse, or serious sexual assault require specialist intervention and investigators. A lot of that is hidden from the public in terms of visibility on the ground. While I am addressing visibility, I am also keeping an eye on how the demand for our services is going to change.