Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I really appreciate the investment that is being made in An Garda Síochána and I appreciate the drive that is currently taking place to recruit more gardaí. I welcome the fact that those rural stations mentioned will be considered in future allocations. What is important as well is that these are fine buildings and they have an opportunity to provide accommodation for young gardaí. A big issue is that if these buildings are not used, they will fall into disrepair and will not be maintained. I see it right across Galway East where these Garda stations were lived in. They provided a vital service and allowed people to embed themselves in the community. That community policing thing is something that is really important in our constituency because people want to know their local gardaí. They want to be connected to them and they want to know that when they need to access forms or paper work to be signed, they can do so. I really appreciate any commitment that can be given to Galway East Garda stations.

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