Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It must be a huge embarrassment that the Minister's own county of Meath has slightly less than half the national average of the ratio of gardaí to population. That has an impact on the type of policing and the level of detection. The result is a reactive type of policing, as opposed to proactive policing that includes an adequate number of community gardaí. There is a need for them to engage with new communities. Visibility is another factor. It must be an embarrassment that the worst ratio of gardaí to population is in her area when she is the Minister for Justice. This has not only arisen recently but has been happening for a period of time. Many Ministers for Justice have overseen this unfair distribution of resources.

See this speech in context