Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He reformed the Courts Service, and continues to do so by closing District Courts throughout the country, taking gardaí from the communities they are supposed to serve for half a day. He sought to reform the mindset and the manner in which they carry out their duties by insulting them and stating that he wanted a better, smarter police force. That is the greatest insult of the lot.

What does that say about the Minister's impressions of past and serving gardaí and the commitment and dedication they give to the communities in which they live and serve? What does it say about the manner in which they carried out their duties on a daily basis, conversing with people in the communities and working to make those communities safer? What does it say about the knowledge and expertise they gained over time? That was thrown in the bin of the Government's perfect economy by the Minister and what he represents. He inflicted that insult on those people, their families and all who went before them by saying they were not "smart" and could not do their jobs effectively in the way they always had.

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