Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. I understand that many gardaí get great job satisfaction from what they do and work very hard in respect of that. I always wonder about having more civilian staff that are going to free up gardaí for front-line duties. The experience in communities does not show that. That is the problem here. There was a similar story when Garda stations were closed. Many Garda stations were closed across the country and here in the city of Dublin. We were told that would free up gardaí to be out in the community so there would be more community gardaí on the street meeting people and doing their jobs out there. That did not happen. It was the reverse that happened. When we say we are going to do something because it will have a particular outcome and that outcome does not happen, there must be a reassessment of why that is the case and what can be done to change that.

The experience of the public is that they are not getting the service they require. We had the 999 scandal and all these things, which reflect a difficulty that people depend on members of the Garda, as a service, to keep them safe but when they contact that service, they do not get the response they require because the service is not up to standard. That is no reflection of the hardworking people within that service; it is a reflection of the resources that have been put in place for them.

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