Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I want to raise the issue of Garda numbers in Dublin West. Some 120 new recruits were attested overall in June and 74 were allocated to Dublin. According to local gardaí in my area, only four came to the Garda's K district. Of 150 new recruits in March, 98 were sent to the city centre and four to the K district. The K district consists of Blanchardstown, Cabra and Finglas and is one of the busiest districts in the country. Last year, in one 24-hour period, it had more calls than all of the other Dublin districts combined. Gardaí in the K district have to deal with antisocial behaviour, criminal damage and assaults. I am told it has the highest number of domestic incidents in the country and it has gangland crime, as well as Blanchardstown town centre and Áras an Uachtaráin to manage. There are only four inspectors across three stations for a population of approximately 200,000 people. It is not sustainable. We have brilliant gardaí but we do not have enough of them. What needs to happen for the K district to get the same level of attention and allocation that is currently being given to Dublin city centre?

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