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

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. It seems that we are struggling, both in west Cork and at a national level, to recruit and retain. The issue has been well covered and we must acknowledge it is the case. If I think back 20 years to when I was 19 or 20, becoming a garda was still an attractive profession and line of work to go into. That does not seem to be the case now. There seems to be a reluctance to join the Garda. I imagine that is the result of the conditions. We need to start talking up the profession a bit more. We need to start talking it up as an important role. Coverage on social media and the media more generally is certainly not helping. We have seen instances of aggression and assault, particularly in urban areas. Thankfully, I can attest to the fact that is not the case where I am from in west Cork but that is what young people are seeing and are exposed to. As a result, becoming a member of the Garda becomes less of an attractive prospect in terms of a career, going forward. We need to start to knock that on the head.

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