Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Can the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, ensure that areas seen as soft targets for crime because of population growth in constituencies such as Deputy Glennon's and mine will receive a level of policing that will send a message to drug barons, crime lords and those engaged in murderous activity that they will be closely watched and apprehended should they commit a crime? Does the Minister accept that there are areas of fast growing population, for example, the area of my constituency in the Louth-Meath division, that have no drug unit and no special investigation unit? Generally such places are regarded as small towns and villages but they are, in fact, larger. Rush is the size of Kilkenny city and Lusk is the size of Athlone. Will the Minister rectify this situation and install a level of policing in these areas similar to large towns throughout the country?

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