Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Drogheda, Ireland's largest town. It was promised a special focus and increased and bolstered Garda resources following the brutal feud that took place there. There was nothing that the Government was not promising in the aftermath of it. However, an internal Garda submission late last year outlined that regular uniformed policing numbers had been slashed by 21, from 59 down to 38. It was also stated that, on a daily basis, it is now accepted that there will not be a garda on the beat. These were the Garda's own words. On the "Michael Reade Show" on LMFM recently, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, said that she does not actually accept that there are no gardaí on the beat. In fact, she said that it is absolutely not true to say that there were no gardaí on the beat. Which is it? Is the Minister saying the Garda authorities are not being truthful? Is she saying that they do not know what they are talking about? Is she saying that she has her finger on the pulse and that she knows more than they do in their own district?

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