Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No level of crime is acceptable. Trying to tackle it is a difficult job. We have to argue our case with the Commissioner. One cannot go to the table unless one has one's facts and figures. Certainly in Meath, the figures stand out and tell their own story. The Meath chief superintendent, Mr. Fergus Healy, spoke at a public meeting of concerned citizens in Trim last month. I have echoed his words to the Minister before. He stated Meath has the lowest proportion of gardaí per capita in the country, with one garda for every 661 persons. In sharp contrast, Sligo-Leitrim has one garda for every 327. The deployment of an additional 22 gardaí in Meath this year is welcome. I welcomed it publicly but the reality is that for the chief superintendent to use them, he is only standing still. There is now no scope for him even to start to tackle the deficiencies in rural areas, such as Oldcastle, Longwood and Enfield, because the big towns are immediately soaking up the resources. We need action of the kind Deputy Frank O'Rourke talked about in rebalancing the force.

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