Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The numbers are down by 25. I appreciate that, as the Minister said, there was a period in which gardaí were not being trained in Templemore because of the pandemic. I accept that but, still, we are not where we were. I believe, as I hope the Minister does, that there is no more important garda than a community garda. Most young people will get to know the local community garda and will look beyond the uniform. This is particularly important in communities that have an intergenerational issue with An Garda Síochána. We can pretend that issue is not there but it is there and it has been there for 100 years, with people not liking or trusting the force and having a fractious relationship with it. Sometimes, for the first time in people's family history, they may be able to look beyond the uniform. When that person is not available to them, because he or she is assigned to another duty or is stretched, it breaks down the ability of a school, for example, to interact with the council, youth services or other agencies. I really want to impress on the Minister the importance of community gardaí. Communities in Dublin are saying they are just not as available as they were and there is no feeling that their numbers will be enhanced in the future.

See this speech in context