To continue with that theme, as the Taoiseach knows, the report of the Policing and Community Safety Authority report at the end of last year the continuing failure of the Government to address Garda recruitment and retention and rural policing in particular. It identified serious risks to policing performance from staffing shortages due to missed recruitment targets and increasing pressures on gardaí. People I have talked to in rural areas of County Waterford are experiencing the sharpest impact. Too few gardaí are covering large areas. There is limited visibility on the ground. Gardaí have indicated that they the supports or resources to do their jobs. People across County Waterford refer to understaffed stations, empty stations and slow response times. We have had a number of violent incidents, particularly in towns and villages in west Waterford in recent months where response times were just too slow. People do not feel safe in their communities. We need to get to grips with this. People in places like Cappoquin, Clashmore, Tooraneena, Ballymacarbry, Kilmacthomas, Dungarvan and Ardmore tell me that they do not see a garda from one end of the week to the next. When are we going to get real about this and ensure that rural areas have the policing response that they need?
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