Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I want to address the lack of policing in this country. In the interim, would it not be possible for gardaí who have retired and who have left the Garda to be brought back on a part-time basis for a certain number of hours so that it would not interfere with their retirement packages? This would mean that specialists, who were trained in the field, could deal with criminal cases that have been delayed in the courts for a long time. They could do ten or 11 hours per week, and this would not impact them.

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It would help Garda investigations, make sure criminals do not remain on the streets for longer and make sure there is accountability. The experience of gardaí could be used to do the research and paperwork to make sure everything fits within the remit of the courts to make sure cases go through. A lot of our gardaí are asked to be on the beat and do paperwork. When it turns around with cases, they often spend more time inside doing paperwork than outside on the streets. Will the Minister look at bringing back retired gardaí on a part-time basis, with the experience they have in the criminal courts, to help with caseloads? It would help Garda resources until we get a proper Garda service back up and running. It would avail of the experience that is there. It would mean criminal cases get to the courts faster and are dealt with faster. We would know that they would actually be convicted, with the right people doing the investigations.

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