Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

There are 994 community gardaí specifically designated within the overall complement of 14,600. They work in the community and I do not accept that they are not known in their communities. In my area, community gardaí are well-known to the people they serve. The reality is that every garda should be a community garda. It is important that gardaí are visible and known in the community. This facility is made available as much as possible. Community policing is a priority of the Government. It was a top priority in the police plan that is produced by the Garda Commissioner every year. This allows us to get across to gardaí that they should be visible and available on a daily basis to the community.

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