Mr. Drew Harris:

I will point to my earlier answer. The Deputy heard what I said about where we are now compared with 2009, 15 years ago, and our current number of 623, which is relatively static compared with the past ten years. It is perhaps somewhat lower than the average but is relatively static. We recognise the importance of the roads policing unit but also, in looking at what other jurisdictions have done, what else we might do. That is why we introduced the 30 minutes of road safety policing per shift. We made that mandatory. As the Deputy said, the impact that brings is around visibility, leading on to prevention, education and enforcement. Our figures from March compared with the first four weeks of the 30 minutes requirement demonstrate the lift in that regard.

The Deputy is also correct about the national go-slow day. We moved from an average of approximately 150 detections a day to more than 500. Policing and the actions of members of An Garda Síochána make a difference. The responsibility I have is to manage the whole resources of An Garda Síochána against the multifaceted and complex demands placed upon us. I recognise and agree with what the Deputy said about population growth. That is why I am mandated to grow the organisation to 15,000, but that needs to be reassessed as we get closer to that figure. I believe we would still be too short against all the demands.