I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and again raise the fact that County Meath has the lowest number of gardaí per population in the State. This is the case by a long way and has been the case for years. As a direct result, community safety in Meath is being sacrificed. In recent days alone, I could point to a spate of burglaries in Kells, car break-ins elsewhere and constituents being turned away from their local Garda station in Ashbourne, unable to make a statement because the station does not enough members. These are not just statistics; they are breaches of the basic contract between the State and its citizens. This Government's failure has direct consequences. How can communities feel safe when their local station's long-term future is in doubt, like in Kells, or where it barely opens, like in Dunshaughlin, Dunboyne, Duleek and Laytown? In early 2022, the then Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, promised a new Garda station for Laytown. The problem is that she did not say which decade it would be delivered in. The latest indication from the current Minister's Department is that it will not be this one anyway. This would be laughable if it were not so serious. It is not a laugh; it is a disgrace. Garda numbers are lower now than in 2020. With population growth, we have 10% fewer gardaí per capita than five years ago. The Government can no longer ignore this. I welcome this motion. In addition, Sinn Féin has published a comprehensive plan to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána. The Government should heed both. Community safety cannot wait any longer.

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