Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At four community gardaí, west Cork has the lowest number of such gardaí in the entire country. Driving from Kinsale in the east of the constituency to the Dursey Sound in the west takes approximately two and a half hours. It is a huge geographical area. I appreciate, as the Minister of State indicates, that the chief superintendent has the responsibility in this but it is a resourcing matter. If the chief superintendent must put gardaí into the community garda division, he or she will have to take them from the drugs or detective unit or those gardaí on the front line. It is a resourcing matter.

The new overall policing model that is being rolled out nationally has committed to the resourcing of community gardaí. I would love the Department and the Minister of State to look at west Cork's numbers in this regard. I thank the Minister of State.

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