Laura Harmon (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of gardaí in Cork city. It is alarming that the Garda Representative Association, GRA, said that there is a shortfall of 125 gardaí in Cork city and that this is affecting the health and safety of gardaí in the city because of the work they have to do and the extra work they have to pick up as a result. The official figures from Garda management state that there are 673 gardaí in Cork city. However, the GRA said the figure is estimated at 478. That is because many of the gardaí stationed in the city are actually working in national or regional units so they are not directly answering calls in the city. The GRA also estimates that, at any one time there are only 90 gardaí answering calls in the city due to rostering and leave arrangements. There is a shortage of gardaí in the city as there are in many cities across the country. I call on the Minister for Justice to specifically address this issue. We had a discussion on community safety in the Chamber last week. A specific discussion on Garda numbers and recruitment in Cork and in Ireland would be welcome.