Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand that it is a difficult task, particularly in rural areas, where there is a large geographic area that gardaí are trying to patrol to keep people safe. That said, the consensus that I get from the feedback from communities, and I am sure that other Deputies have the same experience, is that people feel vulnerable. When an incident such as this happens, it heightens that sense of vulnerability. I acknowledge that, in Ireland, we generally have safe communities. We need to say that too. People generally are safe and feel safe. The case of Tom Niland in Sligo was an extreme example. It worries and alarms people. They wonder what can happen next. They are fearful when they hear a car, when there is a knock on the door, or when anything like that happens. We have to ensure that we put measures in place to protect people in their homes. We also have to look for measures which will be greater deterrents and to have better detection to assist gardaí. One issue here is that the same people carry out many of these raids again and again. Gardaí do not seem to be able to get a grip on it in many cases.

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