Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister of State to listen carefully and to take note. I await his answer with interest. I hope we see some positive news in it but even if we do not, the crucial thing is that this message is relayed back to the Department, the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Simon Harris. Carrigaline, for those familiar with it, is a large town of some 15,000 people. It has grown rapidly. As recently as 1961, there were fewer than a thousand people in the town. It is a commuter town, the population of which has multiplied in the last decade or two because of its proximity to Cork city and the many positive things about the town. It has a lot of employment, many amenities and a strong sense of community. With that growth, investment in resources has not followed adequately. There have been some improvements. We have seen the development of the Carrigaline Lions Youth Centre and some improvements to the roads and in public transport. In one particular area, at least, resources have not adequately followed. Carrigaline is still dealing with crime prevention and Garda numbers that reflect the time when the town was much smaller. About two years ago, I did an analysis which found that of all the towns with a population of more than 10,000, Carrigaline had the fourth lowest number of gardaí. Of the remaining three towns, two were in close proximity to each other, namely, Celbridge and Leixlip. At present, there are 21 gardaí in Carrigaline, three sergeants and 18 gardaí. That is fewer than in summer 2020 when there were 23. If we break that figure down and take away the three sergeants, the warrants and firearms officer, the community gardaí and detectives, we are down to 12 or 13 gardai who are dedicated on a full-time basis to responding to incidents and patrolling the streets.

Carrigaline has a very young population, with 5,000 people or one in three of the population under the age of 18. It is important that we plan for the future and ensure the town has the resources it needs. Unfortunately, I have been asked to raise this matter by countless people in the community in recent weeks because of a number of very worrying incidents. In late December, there was a very serious assault which sadly led to the death of Mr. Matt O'Neill. I send my condolences to his family. Subsequently, in January, a teenager was stabbed and injured. Unfortunately, we have seen a number of these incidents over the last couple of years. It is shocking and upsetting to people in the town. Carrigaline is a very positive town with a fantastic story to tell and a great community spirit despite its rapid growth. It has a very vibrant scene of clubs and organisations and community infrastructure. However, it is a town that has grown exponentially and it deserves much better. With the Garda numbers available, there are barely enough gardaí to keep the station open and a patrol car out at night and during the day as well. The Garda cannot do what it would love to do which would be to put teams of two gardaí out on the street. We all know from the evidence that visibility of policing is the biggest deterrent to crime. In Carrigaline the resources are not available to put teams of two gardaí out patrolling the streets. There is barely enough to keep the squad car and the office open.

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