Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. It is important that we place on record our gratitude to An Garda Síochána, particularly throughout the Covid period. It has been a very difficult period for it. Many officers have been affected by Covid, and their families have been affected as a consequence.

With regard to the 139 gardaí assigned to County Longford as of 30 September, that figure is in the round very good, suggesting there is a garda for every 208 people in the county; however, I revert to the point I made about officers who are currently incapacitated, restricted to office duty and assigned to other roles. For the integrity of the entire Garda operation, and to reassure the public, it is important that we get from the Garda Commissioner a clear and concise figure pertaining to the number of gardaí operating in the various districts across the region at any given time.

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