Ms Antoinette Cunningham:

The Deputy asked about the operating police model, in particular the three-county divisions. Currently, they are Cavan, Monaghan and Louth and Mayo, Roscommon and Longford. The position of the AGSI on this is crystal clear. We believe that Cavan and Monaghan should be a Garda division and Louth should stand on its own. Mayo should be a Garda division and Roscommon and Longford should be joined. We are actively seeking that management would revisit the three-county strategy. Our view is that the current operating model of policing, which was designed by the Commission on the Future of Policing in 2018, was designed for an Irish society in 2028 and we must ask if it is still suitable to meet the needs of Irish society in 2023 and beyond. Our belief is that it is not suitable as a singular model of policing. People are not reassured by the fact that they do not see gardaí on the beat.