Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)

I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána is fully committed to tackling all forms of crime and theft everywhere in the country. The Government's first priority is to increase Garda numbers and Garda visibility so all of our communities, rural and urban, can feel safe and be safe. This is reflected in the record allocation of €2.59 billion in the Garda Vote for 2026, which will support investment in equipment and technology and, importantly, the continued recruitment of Garda personnel.

I must be clear, though, that it is the Garda Commissioner who decides where to deploy Garda personnel. Neither the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, nor I, nor, indeed, any official from the Department, can direct the Commissioner on where gardaí are to be stationed. I am pleased to confirm, however, that recruitment to An Garda Síochána is gathering real momentum, and we now have a steady pipeline of new recruits entering the Garda College. Some 194 new gardaí attested from Templemore in mid-November, taking the total this year to 619, the largest number of new gardaí in a single year since 2018. A total of 794 new recruits entered the college this year. We can look forward to seeing those probationer gardaí assigned throughout the country in 2026 as they pass out of Templemore.

It must also be noted that the allocation of newly attested gardaí allows for currently serving gardaí to move on transfer to other divisions across the country and into specialist units. In this regard, I understand that a number of gardaí have been transferred into the Sligo-Leitrim division during the course of 2025.

With regard to theft, the Government takes this issue extremely seriously. Thanks to the effective work of An Garda Síochána, almost all property crime types have seen decreases at a nationwide level. In the Sligo-Leitrim division, there has been a 50% reduction in reported burglaries in the year to date. In addition, thefts and related offences, thefts from shops and vehicle thefts are also down by 26%, 29% and 39%, respectively, in the first half of this year when compared to the same period last year.

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