SINN Féin Senator Joanne Collins claimed that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s failure to address policing numbers is leaving the people of Foynes and wider County Limerick exposed and putting the community at risk.
Commenting on figures presented in the Irish Independent, Senator Collins said it was not good enough that Foynes would lose a Garda and that there are four stations in County Limerick without a Garda.
She added that the government’s failure to address the problem of too few Gardaí to meet the needs of an increased population was a dereliction of duty.
The County Limerick politician urged Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to tackle this issue as a matter of urgency, adding that this can only be done by increasing the training capacity of An Garda Síochána.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s failure to address policing numbers is leaving the people of Foynes and wider County Limerick exposed and putting communities at risk,” Senator Collins stated.
“The lack of Gardaí has very serious consequences for our community in terms of deterring crime, investigating crime, and ensuring that people feel safe.
“Successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have failed to properly plan for and address this issue for more than a decade. This is a dereliction of duty, and communities right across the state are now paying the consequences,” she added.
Senator Collins went on to say that there is a serious problem in terms of Garda visibility, particularly in terms of the lack of community policing.
