Sligo-Leitrim TD Martin Kenny has called on the Minister to immediately clarify Fine Gael’s stance on Garda recruitment in light of the continuing fall in Garda numbers.
His comments come as data analysis by the Irish Independent shows that one in four stations had seen a loss in Gardaí, while 42 stations have no Garda assigned permanently to them.
Speaking in the Dáil, Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Martin Kenny says a lot of stress exists in An Garda Síochána due to lack of resources and numbers within certain stations:
Minister for Justice Simon Harris says the government and the Garda Commissioner’s aim is to increase Garda numbers.
Minister Harris says the government and the Garda Commissioner are unified in their aims to have at least 15,000 Gardaí and at least 4,000 Garda staff.