Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In common with written responses which I had received on this matter, the Minister has failed to address the matter of community policing. He keeps referring to overall policing numbers but he is not making any comment on how he will address that specific issue. I have put down variations on this question, in written or oral questions, and have received three different answers for the number of community gardaí in 2017. The Minister might explain that to me.

At the heart of the community policing model is the dedicated community garda. That is somebody who is in a position to build-up a relationship with communities, families and individuals to gain the trust of communities. That cannot be done overnight, it requires an intense period of work, but it can be absolutely transformative. I know there are community gardaí who have had a transformative impact. The Minister keeps returning to overall Garda numbers, without making any reference to any action he plans to take to ensure or address even remotely the 40% reduction in dedicated community gardaí, which is particularly dramatic in certain districts.

Will the Minister now tell the House how he intends to address this fall off in numbers specifically in community gardaí, not overall Garda numbers?

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