Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy O'Dowd raised the issue of the timeline. I asked Mr. Geiran whether ten weeks would be enough and he absolutely assured me it would be. The sooner we can get the recommendations, the sooner we can start to act on them. In the meantime, there are still concerns about criminal activity in Drogheda and the surroundings area in counties Louth and Meath.

Regarding the changes over the past year or two, there are currently 152 gardaí assigned to the Drogheda district. This represents an increase of 46% compared with the end of 2015, so there has been a massive increase in the number of gardaí on the ground. There are also now 18 garda staff within the Drogheda district, an increase of 64% on the previous figure. While the focus of this scoping exercise is not that we have more gardaí but that we have a wraparound service and support for the community, it is important to note, given the serious crime and serious incidents that have been happening and the very tragic murder of a young man, that there is an increased Garda presence on the ground, and they are doing everything they can to support the community in the interim.

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