I warmly welcome the latest Garda recruitment campaign. It is encouraging that we are on track to surpass 15,000 gardaí by the end of this year. As the State recruits more gardaí, I want to raise how and where the State trains gardaí. The town of Templemore has served the State well, hosting the Garda College that has trained men and women who have proudly served the people of this country as our gardaí. I hope the Garda College in Templemore has a long future as the primary Garda training college. I wish to ask the question: why only Templemore? The demands of modern policing are more complex than ever while, at the same time, Ireland's population is growing rapidly and becoming more diverse. The nature of society, crime, urbanisation and the communities we live in have all changed utterly. The policing needs of the country have transformed just as our country has transformed. The time has come for a second training college, one that should be based in Dublin and that leverages the potential for greater linkages with the State's recently expanded network of technological universities. There is a compelling case for that second training college to be located in Blanchardstown. Blanchardstown represents one of the fastest growing population centres in the State, of which I am proud. It has diverse and dynamic communities, one of the country's largest retail centres, a university, the national sports campus and an expanding technological and economic corridor. We also have a campus of TU Dublin, an ideal site with ideal synergy. It would offer major recruitment advantages across Leinster and align Garda education with the future needs of policing, digital capability and emerging technology rooted in community engagement and modern urban policing skills. As I have raised with the Taoiseach previously many times in the Chamber, Blanchardstown and west Dublin face significant policing pressures. The K district is one of the busiest policing districts in the country. Blanchardstown is comparable in size and scale to a regional city but there is just one Garda station serving more than 100,000 people, compared to three stations in Limerick city. Since 2012, over 8,300 homes have been built in Dublin 15. Entirely new communities have been developed but no new Garda station has opened. Locating a new Garda college in Blanchardstown would send a signal that the policing challenges in Dublin and, in particular, in the growing communities around the M50 belt, are being taken seriously. If we are serious about delivering the Garda numbers our communities need by 2030, we must be equally serious about where, when and how we train them. Dublin 15 is ready to play that role.

Sentiment score: 0.24

I was careful to state that Templemore should be retained as the primary Garda college but a second located in Dublin would be regionally advantageous for recruitment. It would broaden appeal. Progress is being made in capacity. The Minister has spoken about increasing capacity at Templemore to 250. We need more investment in roads policing, community policing and community safety strategies. Where better to do that than among the fast growing and most diverse population in the country? It is not just about numbers; it is about the types of policing challenges we now face like digital capability and cybercrime. Where better to train than in a modern and dynamic university? TUD Blanchardstown has the space, sports and exercise facilities and land zoned for educational purposes. The infrastructure exists for a pilot programme. We are a microcosm of modern urban Ireland, and we would be a great location for a second training college.

Sentiment score: 0.33