Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right. We should always follow data and check that we get what we want. To take a point in time, since 2015 over 880 Garda members who were doing back office duties - I am not suggesting that is unimportant but they were not able to do front-line duties - have been freed up to do front-line duties. That is 880 more gardaí. Taking the global picture from 2015 to now, there are 12% more gardaí, or an increase of 12%-----

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