Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I attended a protest held in Drogheda last Saturday. There is a sense of fear in Drogheda and east Meath of what might happen next. Although the Garda resources that are being allocated to Drogheda are welcome, new gardaí should receive appropriate mentoring and training to deal with this situation.

I wish also to draw the attention of the Minister to the situation in east Meath and the Ashbourne Garda district, which is adjacent to Drogheda. Unfortunately, counties Louth and Meath are in different Garda regions. I have raised with the JPC in Meath that there should be as much co-operation as possible and that any armed support for Drogheda would also be available to east Meath. On that note, I thank and pay tribute to the Garda for some work it did in the east Meath area today and yesterday which will yield results. This problem is causing significant fear and needs commitments that will be followed through on after the election as well as before it.

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