Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton. I rise today to discuss areas of justice. I am looking for a greater Garda presence in the east Limerick area. Recently I made a submission to the Castletroy development plan in which I looked for a full-time Garda station in that region. The area is expanding. At the time the chief superintendent said that due to lack of resources it would not be warranted to put in a full-time Garda station. However, the area is growing and expanding and there are many part-time stations in different parts of the region.

My main concern is Castleconnell and the greater Castleconnell area. There has been a spate of burglaries in the last month and one house was targeted two to three times. On one road alone there were some 20 burglaries, but there is no full-time Garda in the area. The region is looked after by the Garda station in Henry Street, which is right in the city centre, but there is a population of more than 20,000 outside that part of the city. The area covers Castleconnell, Castletroy, Monaleen, Annacotty, Lisnagry and down into Montpelier. It is a growing population. There is also a large student population closer to the university but the area I refer to is very residential. A lot of the residents have had to put up electronic gates, lights and other elements to deter people from breaking into their houses. I am concerned because there is no full-time Garda presence in the area and the gardaí tell me that they are working on limited resources and personnel. This is why I call for a greater Garda presence to be put into this area. It is frightening to think that these issues are ongoing and appear to be on a constant basis. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.