Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The situation regarding recruitment and retention in An Garda Síochána is very acute. There are four gardaí and two sergeants in the town of Carrick-on-Suir in the Clonmel Garda district. They would want four times that number to fill the rosters. They can only fill one roster. We see the slow rate of input into Templemore but we also see the resignations, retirements and people being out sick. The situation is alarming. The situation is the same in Clonmel, in Cashel in the Cahir Garda district, and throughout the country. We know that the limited number of recruits in Templemore go to Dublin and the major cities, so we are in a hopeless situation. It is unfair that people in towns like Carrick-on-Suir and the surrounding areas are left like this with barely any service. I salute the gardaí who are there and Garda Pat Kelly, who retired recently. They are great people but they cannot do the work on their own. They need supports and numbers. What is the Government going to do about it?

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