Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I fully appreciate and understand that at any time competition for resources is a moot issue and will continue to be. However, I wish to point out that this particular situation is unique. There is a threat to the institutions of the State in a way that has not manifested itself previously in County Kildare. It requires a response of a very dramatic nature. If such a response is not forthcoming, it may be seen as a weakness on the part of the authorities. It is improper that members of An Garda Síochána should be afraid to go to and from work without taking special measures. It naturally follows that their families should not live in fear and that other families in the area should not live in fear. There is a need to respond in a way that is fairly dramatic, as has happened in other situations. I say that in particular because the area in question is in the greater Dublin area and provides easy access from the point of view of criminal activity on a 24-7 basis. I strongly urge that the only way to make a statement these people will listen to is to consider the possibility of a new station in the area.

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