Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Garda units in the districts across this large division have gone from units of seven and eight members to units of three and four members. We have had instances where only one member of An Garda Síochána has been available for a large district.

That is the reality and that is what is happening on the ground.

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality produced a report in 2019 which examined rural policing. One of the recommendations made was that a dedicated officer be assigned as an initial point of contact for each rural community. It would complement the recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland in its 2018 report concerning district community policing. What efforts are being made to implement that recommendation? If communities at least had a named individual who could be contacted, that would help to provide some level of reassurance.

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