Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Garda properties are valuable resources. If we have them, we should use them for the benefit of the State or the benefit of the public in having a Garda presence there. I will raise that issue with my Department.

The Deputy also made a very valid point about how the public want to see members of An Garda Síochána on the ground. We sometimes take that for granted. In many countries, communities do not want to see their police force on the ground. In Ireland, it is completely different. Every Deputy will say that when they are at a public meeting on policing, the one thing the public wants to see is more gardaí on the street. That is a reflection of the good relationship the Garda has with the public. It is something we must cherish and we must ensure we preserve it because if that relationship is lost, it will be very hard to get back. We are in the fortunate position that we have such a good relationship and I am committed to improving it, assisting the Garda and keeping that level of public support going.

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