Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, gardaí do not want the Minister's commendation; they want support. That is what they want every day. The number of gardaí in the State has fallen every year Deputy McEntee has been Minister for Justice. That is some record. In every year she has been Minister for Justice, the number of gardaí in the State has fallen. She says she has no role in the allocation of gardaí in County Meath but she could set out policy that ties the number of gardaí to population, within reason. That policy would have to be followed by An Garda Síochána. There is anger and fear in County Meath with regard to this issue. There is a spike in the number of violent assaults and sexual assaults. Drug crime and criminal damage are on the increase. A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, a car stopped in the middle of a main street and those within felt safe enough to get out and smash the windows of a pub. People are being stabbed and seriously injured in Slane, a town in the Minister's constituency. People are angry and they are looking to the Minister because she has authority in this area. They do not want any more gardaí than any other county; they just want the same as every other county.

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