Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to highlight the serious and alarming low levels of Garda availability across County Tipperary. There are supposed to be 380 gardaí to cover the county. Unfortunately, 45 of them are out on long-term sick leave. I wish them well as many them have injuries from the line of duty. I also raise this issue in the context of the proposed divisional reorganisation, a move that will see Tipperary lose its divisional headquarters after it is transferred to Ennis, County Clare. This was a decision taken without any consultation with the Garda Representative Association, GRA, or anyone else.

As an example of just how serious the situation is, I want to alert the Taoiseach and Minister for Justice and Equality to the following example that took place over the course of one week in Carrick-on-Suir. The town has a population of 7,000 people. I have the Garda roster here thanks to the local gardaí because they are so frustrated. On the Wednesday of the week in question, there were just two gardaí due to work in Carrick-on-Suir. One garda had to go to Clonmel to drive a patrol car, leaving one garda for the entire town of Carrick-on-Suir from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. This also affected neighbouring towns such as Fethard, Kiltinan, Kilcash, Ahenny and Faugheen. Thursday was court day, meaning no gardaí were available. On Friday, there were two gardaí due to work in Carrick-on-Suir. Both of them were directed to Clonmel to take a prisoner from there to a court in County Cork. Astonishingly, this left Carrick-on-Suir with no Garda presence whatsoever for the entire Friday of that week. I remind the Taoiseach that this is a town of 7,000 people. They are law-abiding, decent people who pay their taxes, work hard and deserve to be supported. On Saturday, there was only one garda on duty because the other garda was on leave. The on-duty garda was directed to Clonmel to perform a checkpoint, leaving Carrick-on-Suir without any garda.

I salute Sergeant Mick Hubbard and his Garda colleagues in Carrick-on-Suir, who give an excellent service. However, they are dragged away from it and do not have enough numbers. The Taoiseach will agree that this is an intolerable situation for the people of Carrick-on-Suir and ordinary rank-and-file gardaí. Can the Taoiseach imagine how ordinary gardaí - men and women - feel having to leave their town and areas completely unpatrolled? It is shocking.

Fr. Paul Waldron and community activists held two meetings last year because of the whole issue pertaining to mental health, suicide and the proliferation of drugs in the town. We got tokenism from senior gardaí when they met us then, promising the sun, moon and the stars. It has diminished significantly since then. As a public representative, I call on the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, and his officials to rectify this immediately. We need at least 45 new gardaí in Clonmel to augment it. In Roscrea last week, there was a brawl on the street. The day after, no garda was available to open the Garda station there. An officer had to come from Nenagh to open it. It is shocking. The Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel Garda districts are starved of equipment, patrol cars and personnel.

This new reconfiguration without consultation will not work. It will in fact lessen impact. I am told by the GRA that bureaucracy increased with the pilot project for these reconfigurations and did not result in more gardaí on the beat. The Government must increase Garda strength and give gardaí the tools of the trade to do their job. Gardaí must be shown the respect they deserve. They want to serve their people but they are being handcuffed, blindfolded and restricted. They are also being taken out of Carrick-on-Suir, which is appalling.

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