Policing by consent is a hallmark of how An Garda Síochána has operated in this State. That model is breaking down as visibility of gardaí on the ground thins out, resulting in a dangerous chasm between gardaí and the communities they are pledged to protect. On-the-ground policing builds trust and relationships and safer communities. Every Member of this House will testify that the number of cases crossing our desks every day reporting antisocial behaviour in communities across the country is on the rise. I suggest that to describe it as "antisocial behaviour" minimises it. It is mostly insidious criminal behaviour. Like many public services under the watch of the governing parties, Garda numbers and resources have failed to keep pace with our growth in population and need to catch up. Fine Gael is as much the party of law and order as it is of fiscal responsibility. It is interesting the stories that parties tell themselves. The Government is falling short of its own commitments on this issue and has to do better if the link based on the principle of consent between our communities and the gardaí who police them is to be restored. The numbers are clear and are laid out in this motion. It is an objective fact that there are fewer serving members of An Garda Síochána today than there were six years ago. In the same period, the population of the country has increased. The Government is now running to stand still when it comes to Garda numbers. The programme for Government, if the Minister needs to be reminded, committed to recruiting at least 5,000 new Garda recruits and staff by 2030. Current trainee intake is far too low to achieve that aim. Only 619 recruits came out of Templemore in 2025 and almost half of Garda districts around the country have lost gardaí or stood still during 2025. A locally embedded, well-resourced and modern policing service is of crucial importance in enabling communities to flourish. That model is under threat, as Deputy Kelly and others have said, like never before. It requires urgent action on behalf of the Government. There is no point outsourcing this to the Garda Commissioner or senior Garda staff. Leadership needs to be shown at governmental and ministerial level. In order to address recruitment shortfalls, improve morale and strengthen policing in our communities, we need a real plan to deliver at least 1,000 new Garda recruits every year. The current operational policing model, as colleagues have said, needs an urgent review. Where it is found to be undermining the principle of community policing instead of enhancing it, its implementation must be halted. The Labour Party, not today or yesterday, has long argued for an increase in the Garda training allowance. That must be delivered to aid recruitment. We recommend the allowance more or less matches the Garda starting salary. That is the kind of extent to which we need to go. For existing gardaí, we want to see a review of pay scales and pensions. Every Garda district in the country needs a clear timeline for increasing numbers to address community safety concerns and tackle the blight of insidious antisocial behaviour we are seeing across the country.

Sentiment score: 0.16