Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. There are not enough gardaí in Cork either, and the figures show that. In 2022, there were 734 gardaí in the county. By December 2023, there were only 699. Cork got one additional garda from the group of recruits that came out of Templemore. There was a serious incident in my community on Tuesday night. Six gardaí responded but there were over 200 young people involved. It is getting to the stage where it is dangerous for gardaí. A member of An Garda Síochána asked a Sinn Féin public representative if the party could do anything to get more gardaí for Cork. Gardaí are under pressure and for the first time they are being targeted. The shortage of gardaí means that they are at risk. This is true not only of gardaí but also of ambulance drivers and fire fighters. We need more gardaí in Cork.

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