Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There was another high-profile assault in the capital last week where a visiting actor was bottled, slashed and bitten by three youths, both female and male. One public commentator described them as feral youths running wild on our streets. It is an assault that mirrors so many others occurring across the country every weekend and week. The Garda force now numbers less that 14,000, 1,000 short of the Government recruitment campaign. There are only 300 gardaí in Templemore - 25% of the Government's target - and there is a large dropout rate occurring. Why are people refusing to join An Garda Síochána? Might I offer that the pension entitlements are not enough for people after 25 or 30 years of public service, having three oversight bodies zealously monitoring Garda activities and causing endless paperwork and bureaucracy, the statute of limitations, six months for a common assault and yet it takes 18 months for Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, to investigate frivolous complaints against gardaí, and video testimony of gardaí being refused while the public are able to publicly record. I ask the Minister to look at the resources we are giving to gardaí, which are favouring criminals more than those in the force.

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