Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When the Minister opened by stating her view that she would like to see more gardaí, I felt it was going to be a case of, "O God, the numbers are going down", and she then confirmed that. The number of gardaí in the city has gone down from 705 to 670 and the county divisions have lost gardaí as well. We see this impact on the ground and it is a great source of concern for many people. The new policing model is in place in Cork county at this stage, which has resulted in a very large area being policed right across the county, and even including parts of County Kerry. It is a very diverse area, with rural and urban parts and a coastal area known for drug trafficking. It is greatly important that there would be adequate policing. The Minister also gave an indication of some crime figures going downwards but she did not quote public order figures. I am interested to know more about this. What efforts are being made to ensure that existing vacant posts are being filled?

See this speech in context