Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of the number of gardaí, specifically the resource allocation model, because there is a shortage of gardaí right across the State. It is very pronounced and no more so than in my county, Meath. County Meath has the lowest number of gardaí per head of population in the State, at in the region of 142 per 100,000 people. The next worst is County Kildare, which has an additional 30 gardaí per 100,000 people. The best is Waterford, which has more than double the figure for Meath. The problem is that, because of the resource allocation model, those counties that are the worst stay the worst. Historic strength has such an important role to play in the allocation of resources. Is the Government, including the Taoiseach, concerned about this? Is the Government going to address it?

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