Dáil debates

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Garda Deployment

7:10 pm

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response, but I am afraid the severity and impact of the Government's failure to work with the Garda Commissioner to properly allocate sufficient Garda resources to the county is not accepted or acknowledged by him and I get no sense from the response that he will ensure, in tandem with the Garda Commissioner, that additional resources are supplied to the county.

I outlined to the Minister of State how we have gone from 466 gardaí in the county in 2010 to just 404 today. We acknowledge that there are new trainees coming out of Templemore but, as I pointed out to him, there have not been any new trainees going to the Milford Garda district.

That is why we are seeing pressure on policing, particularly on community policing. The communities of Rathmullan, Kerrykeel, Carrigart, Kilmacrennan and Ramelton deserve to have Garda members based in the area and working in the stations there. Unfortunately, we have seen from the Government the closure of Churchill Garda station, the reduction of Ramelton Garda station's complement from four to zero and proposals today to pull gardaí from Kilmacrennan, Kerrykeel and Rathmullan to central headquarters. Working with the Garda Commissioner, the Minister of State must look at this issue very seriously and address it. This must be done by putting additional resources into the county and ensuring that Donegal has enough uniformed personnel on the ground. Members of the Garda based in those stations, whose presence in the community is valued so much, must not be pulled away from them because of the Government's inaction.

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