Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this very important issue. I fully appreciate that Garda resources are a matter for the Garda Commissioner but people in east Meath are rightly very distressed and concerned. It is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. The Garda station was built 20 years ago to meet the needs of a population one quarter the size of the current population. The one thing all electoral areas in County Meath such as Trim, Kells, Ashbourne, Navan and Ratoath have in common is they all have a full-time, 24-7 Garda station and a Garda superintendent. East Meath, including Laytown and Bettystown, has a population of 34,000 and that will increase by approximately 10,000 in the coming years but it does not have those services and it needs them urgently.

The Garda Commissioner is aware of this issue and he is listening to us. He met local representatives at the joint policing committee on 6 March 2020, and he was aware of the boundary issue between Meath and Louth in terms of ensuring there could be hot pursuit of criminals from east Meath into Drogheda and vice versa, if needed. The problem is parents are very upset as children were assaulted there recently. A couple of Sundays ago, the Garda dog unit and the Garda mounted support unit were needed in the area to ensure peace would prevail and thugs and people out of their heads on drink and drugs would not be able to dominate social life over a very important weekend.

Residents who live in one part of estates in Drogheda such as Rosevale and Beaubec ring Ashbourne Garda station, 25 miles away, while those who live in the other part of the estates ring Drogheda Garda station. That is not good enough and it is not acceptable. The Minister for Justice is aware of the issue and I have discussed it with her and the Department, but it is up to the Garda Commissioner, who has listened to us in Drogheda before, to deal with it. He assigned additional gardaí to the area following the appalling murder of Keane Mulready-Woods. Let us have action now in east Meath. The people need it and demand it. Tania O'Neill, a mother from the area, is campaigning very strongly on the issue.

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