Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

I thank the Deputy. I absolutely appreciate the concerns of people across the country, including along the Border. Gardaí have been deployed temporarily to provide for operational resilience, but it is our intention, with the permanent allocation of our new recruits in January, to have this matter addressed.

I am delighted that the Deputy mentioned and thank him for so acknowledging the great work being done, particularly with the crime commission in Northern Ireland. However, it is indicative of the work being done under Operation Thor and the extra patrolling hours, including in Border areas. The operation involves distribution throughout the country. The incident the Deputy identified in Carrickmacross and that in County Donegal, where three people were arrested, are very significant indicators.

Even though it is early days, with the additional patrolling hours put in place, more than 30 people have been arrested in the past ten days. There have been significant successes, albeit it is early days. It is indicative of the work that can be done. In reassuring the public, it needs to see that gardaí are out there and we need to ensure they are visible.