Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is important to make the point.

I will set the context first. The small numbers coming to the Cork city division from Templemore from each cohort has been a source of significant contention in Cork for a considerable number of years. On some occasions it has been as little as one, on others two or three and sometimes it has been none. On one recent occasion there was an increase comprising 11 individuals, as against the 96 members who went to the Dublin division.

In the most extreme example I came across, from December 2023, 115 gardaí went to the Dublin division while only one came to the Cork city division. I am aware Cork city is smaller than Dublin city but it is not 115 times smaller than Dublin city by any manner or means. We have challenges in the city. In recent months, we have had some serious issues relating to arson, serious assaults and public order issues. We have a situation now where the city centre Anglesea Street Garda station, which is the largest Garda station and the divisional headquarters, was reduced by 26 gardaí in 2024. This meant the main Garda station - the biggest Garda station in Cork city - lost one garda a fortnight in 2024. The Minister of State will agree that is a very serious situation.

The city division as a whole has seen such pressure on resources that Garda management has come to a decision that four Garda stations are effectively going to be combined into two. The Bishopstone and Ballincollig units are effectively going to function as one unit and Carrigaline and Douglas are going to function as one unit. The Minister of State lives not too far away from Cork. I am sure he knows some of these places and has a sense of how big they are. Douglas and Carrigaline, for example, are two places that have two, what should be substantial Garda stations, are being combined. For half of the month the Garda members are sent to Douglas and for half the month they are sent to Carrigaline. Carrigaline has almost 20,000 people in itself and probably 30,000 if the outlying area is taken in. Douglas has approximately 40,000 people. Similarly, Ballincollig has probably 30,000 in the outlying area and Bishopstown has 15,000 or something like that. These are huge areas. We are talking about one unit being responsible for Bishopstown, Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Douglas. There is significant concern. These are big areas with a growing population. What is actually happening is that the Garda numbers are falling back.

The Minister of State is going to reply that the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for this. However, I would urge him to listen. Dublin undoubtedly has policing challenges that need to be responded to. The Government needs to ensure, and I am sure the Minister of State will agree with this, that the rest of the country, and I am speaking for Cork, needs to get a fair shake. We are not getting a fair shake. It is leading to this very serious reduction in service. People are concerned about the implications for their communities.

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