Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his answer and welcome the progress on the numbers. Today, however, I am specifically focusing on Wicklow. County Wicklow requires a greater Garda deployment. We have only had nine new recruits since 2014. That is out of a total allocation of 1,000. Two of them have since resigned and 32 gardaí have left the division in the past 18 months. That is a net reduction in Wicklow of 22. Another 28 gardaí could retire tomorrow morning if they so wish. Wicklow has also had the loss of two Garda stations, namely, those in Donard and Wicklow town. They need to be restored. They cover large rural areas where communities feel very vulnerable to local crime and crimes coming down on the main arteries from Dublin into the rural areas. We are aware that Donard is being considered in the review and that one station has been reopened on foot of that review.

Perhaps the Minister could give me an update on that. The farming and business communities in County Wicklow are expressing no confidence in the current capacity of the Garda to prevent crime in the county. This can be attributed to the lack of Garda numbers there.

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