Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has said she will be engaging with office of the Garda Commissioner to investigate the possibility of increasing garda presence and visibility within the constituency. Deputy Nolan was speaking after she contributed to a Dáil debate on the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023:
“While I of course welcome the reopening of Garda stations such as in Rhode and Daingean, these are limited in operational terms and so a much stronger Garda presence and an increase in the operational hours of Garda stations must be prioritised in rural towns and villages especially Kilcormac, Clonaslee, Mountmellick and Kinnitty where there are growing populations,” said Deputy Nolan.
“In terms of garda allocation issues there are also a number of other issues that I want to see addressed within the constituency.”
“As I understand it, for instance, there is just one Garda member assigned to the Laois Offaly Divisional Drugs unit. That’s’ a single garda for counties with a combined population of 150 thousand people.”
“We also know from the most recently available data that from July 2022 the number of serving gardai fell for each and every month in the Laois Offaly Division.”
“We know that from 2015 to 2023 the number of probationary gardai assigned to Laois Offaly rose from just 9 to 16,” she said.
“Then there are the issues identified at a recent meeting in the Department of Justice in February between the Gardai, and organisations like the ICSMA. At that meeting it was made clear that trespassing on farming land, intimidation and threats and farm thefts are rampant and are not being adequately addressed.”
“Alarmingly farmers also spoke of how they felt they were in a worse position after reporting these threats because there was no sanction or follow up and how they are then left to deal with the fall-out. Is it any wonder then that rural crime is severely under-reported. “
“I have nothing but praise for the gardai on the ground who are working in very difficult circumstances and who must cover very large areas with limited resources.
“But we need a far greater degree of visible gardai on our streets and villages in Laois Offaly. As the population numbers grow at the local level this will become an even more pressing issue,” concluded Deputy Nolan.