Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The lack of Garda presence and visibility in our communities is having a serious impact. Many people in my constituency are living in fear, particularly elderly and vulnerable people and those in rural communities. People are having to take drastic measures to increase security in their homes. We know that burglaries are on the rise. There were 386 burglaries reported in Galway in 2023, an increase of 8%. The most recent figures published this week show levels of burglaries continuing to rise across the west and across the State. Antisocial behaviour is also a serious issue, and the lack of Garda visibility in our communities is contributing to this. We do not see gardaí on the beat and they do not have a sufficient presence. Yet, in the Galway Garda division the number of gardaí actually decreased last year by 2% from 618 to 604. This does not include the number of gardaí not available for work due to career breaks, maternity leave and so on. A huge number of Garda stations have been closed, particularly rural stations, leaving no permanent presence in these areas. In my home town of Athenry, which has a population of 5,000 people, the Garda station is rarely open. It opens from time to time. There is no certainty as to when it will be open. People locally tell me that if you call the station, you are often transferred over to Clifden Garda station on the western edge of County Galway, about two hours' drive away. That is not good enough for a town of Athenry's size. This lack of gardaí and Garda visibility has serious consequences. It impacts on people's sense of safety, on deterrence and on crime prevention. There needs to be a particular focus on policing in rural communities and a rural Garda plan is needed to address those gaps where we have stations that have closed, or in areas where Garda numbers are down. We have a rising population, and we desperately need more gardaí in our communities. The intake capacity for Garda training must be increased to get to where we need to be in terms of numbers. We must also tackle the root causes of crime such as inequality, addiction, mental health issues and so on if we are to fully address these problems.

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