Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply and look forward to going through the items per station in tabular format.

I have raised this question because I have a concern about the equitable distribution of resources. The Minister has said it is a matter for Garda management. I understand that. However, the reality is that stations such as the one in Malahide were downgraded by the previous Government. In north Dublin the number of gardaí is down by 20%. Areas in which there is not a great Garda presence do not seem to be getting an allocation of new Garda recruits and I am concerned about this. I hope there is a whole-of-government approach in so far as the Department looks at how resources are being distributed throughout Dublin. The tendency is for many of the new recruits to go to the areas which are more visible, that is, the cities. While new recruits and additional resources are needed in the centre of cities, the suburbs and outlying areas of Dublin cannot be forgotten. That is my great concern. Let us consider the figures for community policing, in particular. For example, the entire area of Balbriggan with a population of almost 50,000 has only two community gardaí. For the whole of the Malahide district, the number of community gardaí is down from six in 2014 to zero. There has also been a decrease in Swords and there are no community gardaí in the Lusk area. These are examples of where it is obvious that we need to fill the gaps. Community policing has been decimated, but it is crucial for good policing in any area, especially my area of Dublin Fingal.

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