Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a copy of last year's plan and I see how it is broken down. The Garda Commissioner does not take population into consideration and there is no evidence of him doing so. For example, based on a number of comparators Kildare is the worst policed area in the country. If the whole country had the same level of gardaí as are present in Kildare, we could let 4,800 gardaí go. The level of policing in Kildare is approximately half the average in the rest of the country. For example, Kerry has nine fewer gardaí than Kildare but has 75,000 fewer people. Mayo has 15 fewer gardaí than Kildare but has 80,000 fewer people. In Sligo and Leitrim there are 11 fewer gardaí than in Kildare but 113,000 fewer people. None of those counties would be regarded as very high crime areas. The commuter belt areas that have developed in recent years have not been treated fairly.

The seven Kildare Deputies met the assistant Garda commissioner. We sought a meeting with the Commissioner and he arranged a meeting with the assistant commissioner. The assistant commissioner told us that within each region what they have they hold. Our region is the commuter belt region.

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