Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy O'Connor for his very important question. He mentioned that the situation could be at crisis point. I would say that in many corners of Ireland, it already is. I can tell the Minister of State, following contact I have had from the Garda representative organisation, that there is a functional policing area, I will not say where, that straddles two counties and covers a population of 50,000 people. It had two gardaí on duty on Wednesday night of last week, just two gardaí in the entire area going around in one patrol car. That is crisis point. When I come to Dáil Éireann I often chat with gardaí on the street. They are from Deputy O'Connor's and my constituency. When Taylor Swift or some big event is on in Dublin, they are all drafted up to backfill rosters here in Dublin. That is crisis point. We have to speak up unapologetically for rural counties which could also become the soft belly of crime in Ireland, if some of them are not already. I would love to hear more detail on what we do to backfill those rosters in rural Ireland. They are being hollowed out to fill the policing roster in Dublin.

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