Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that the figures he shared include civilian gardaí. The figures I have been given in communication with senior gardaí in the west Cork area suggest that the numbers have fallen by 16. There were 307 gardaí in the area in 2017 and there are now only 291. A reduction of 16 gardaí is a lot in a region such as west Cork, which is peripheral and has a small population. It is a sparsely populated area. This is a worrying trend because it means that, while gardaí still prioritise responding to criminal activity, etc., the area that is suffering is their engagement with the community and the community work they, and all of us, feel is incredibly important. I would like to see the trend reversed so that we see an increase in the number of gardaí in west Cork.

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