An Garda Síochána

I thank the Minister of State for representing the Department here this evening. I am very proud to represent the people of Ballinasloe. I have done so since 2020. One of the first things I did when I was elected in 2020 was open a constituency office in the town. It is the county town of Galway and I was very mindful of serving the people. That is now a full-time constituency office and I am there every Monday for my weekly clinic and have been for six years now. In that time things have changed greatly in Ballinasloe. As time goes on I have lost count of the number of Mondays when I go into my clinic and I am faced with residents who are there to tell me of the events and activities of the weekend. Monday of this week was no exception. A number of residents were in with me this week to tell me about two cars that were burned out in a housing estate in Ballinasloe. Good people are suffering. They are suffering every day of the week and the weekend appears to be a particularly challenging time. This is not an isolated incident. It is ongoing in the town of Ballinasloe and it is having an incredible impact on a number of housing estates, from Hymany to St. Grellan's to Meadowbrook to Curragh Park, and there are others. In the last few weeks to months we have had cars burned out, a carjacking and attempted arson attacks. In the past few weeks alone, there has been a shooting and open fighting and violence, with the use of weapons including machetes, swords and iron bars. This has all happened publicly and in the open and there has been and continues to be open drug use. Families and other residents - good, decent people - are being terrorised in their homes and community. There is a balance in this for me as an elected representative, because no one wants to run down a town they represent. No one wants to speak negatively about a town they represent. However, I have been to An Garda Síochána and the superintendent. I fought hard to get the antisocial task force, which is now up and running. We had to wait until the local community safety partnership was up and running to get that. However, we have come to a point where I feel, as an elected representative, that I cannot be silent because I need people in Ballinasloe to know they are not alone. I do not make party politics out of any issue, not least this one. We need every stakeholder around the table and that was the idea behind the antisocial behaviour task force. I am not talking about leaving this solely to An Garda Síochána. The gardaí in Ballinasloe are under incredible pressure and need more support. What I am looking for this evening, as part of what has to be done, which is wider, is more gardaí. We are not seeing them in Ballinasloe. According to crimestats.ie, crime rates in Ballinasloe are approximately 79% above the national average and the number of gardaí in the town does not reflect that. I am not talking about gardaí coming in after an incident, which has happened repeatedly. I am talking about a sustained, specific Garda operation for Ballinasloe because too many good, decent people are being affected by this and it is extremely hard to sit across from people, particularly older people, and reassure them, as an elected representative for the town, when this keeps happening. People are being terrorised. They are being tormented. People are selling their family homes and leaving the area they love. That is happening now. The bottom line is that Ballinasloe is a wonderful town with wonderful people, but people are struggling seeing the town they love go the way it is going.

I thank the Deputy for raising the need for more gardaí in Ballinasloe. As she will be aware, operational policing is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, who is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under section 33 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. Section 33(1) specifically provides that the Commissioner is “responsible for the allocation and deployment of resources available to him or her and determining the manner in which members of garda personnel are to be distributed and stationed throughout the State". When it comes to policing, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is not in a position to look over the Commissioner's shoulder and determine where he deploys Garda members. That is the responsibility and role of the Commissioner. The Commissioner will consider a range of factors when allocating Garda resources. These include commitments and undertakings outlined in the annual policing plan, crime trends, workloads, operational strategies, population and demographic trends, geographical factors and personnel matters across all Garda divisions and specialist units. The Government is committed to supporting the Commissioner and An Garda Síochána in building stronger, safer communities. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their local community and any acts that undermine people's safety will not be tolerated. That is why one of the Government’s first priorities is increasing Garda numbers and visibility across the country, including in rural areas such as those served by the Ballinasloe Garda district and large towns like Ballinasloe. This should mean that divisional and district commanders are in the best position possible to react to situations such as those the Deputy referred to. As she will be aware, Garda numbers have now reached an all-time record and the Government is committed to building on this momentum. Over 200 new gardaí passed out of the Garda College in Templemore last week. This brings the strength of the force to its highest ever, at 14,825 members. These, and each class attesting from the Garda College, are being assigned to divisions across the country. These allocations and the transfers they facilitate ensure that front-line policing services are adequately resourced. Recruitment continues at a strong pace and this is supported by the additional funding allocated under budget 2027. Further to this sustained investment, it is expected that Garda strength will exceed 15,000 members in the near future. In the Galway division, as of the end of August 2026, there were 641 gardaí. These included 52 gardaí in Ballinasloe district alone.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. The Garda numbers overall and all-time records are extremely welcome. We need more gardaí. We need to see them. We need the visibility and to build up community policing, including the relationships between communities and gardaí on the ground. In Ballinasloe, we have had sustained levels of criminal activity and antisocial behaviour, which are escalating. I hate to say it, but I am afraid there will be a fatality. There have been attempted arson attacks and cars burned out and these are not isolated incidents of a weekend here or there. It has been sustained now for months. There are no new gardaí in Ballinasloe. I ask for the figures of gardaí every now and then. On the face of it, 52 gardaí in Ballinasloe Garda district looks good and there will be a figure specific to Ballinasloe Garda station. There are single-digit numbers of gardaí in Ballinasloe on a day-to-day basis. The last time I checked, there were two. There is no hope of managing what is happening in Ballinasloe with those levels. I ask that the Minister for justice seek from the Commissioner - I know he can only ask - for the issue in Ballinasloe to be nipped in the bud. It needs to happen quickly. We need a sustained Garda presence until these issues are resolved. We need the local community safety partnership to be resourced to look at Ballinasloe specifically and get everyone around the table, including Galway County Council and other stakeholders in the area. People need to see action and we need to give people hope and reassurance that this is being dealt with and will be dealt with. Unfortunately, that is not happening and I cannot stress enough that people are terrified.

I acknowledge the Deputy's calls for additional resources. I commend the tireless work of all gardaí, who deliver exceptional services across the State on a daily basis. In the context of the concerns raised by the Deputy, I also commend the Garda response to a recent incident in Ballinasloe. I understand that on 10 October gardaí on a proactive patrol arrested six males following an incident of violent disorder at St. Michael's Square. I understand these individuals were detained and charged and that the matter is now before the courts. Garda authorities advise that four probationers were assigned to the Galway division in 2026 and that there have been a significant number of transfers to the division, with an additional 25 gardaí assigned there since the end of 2025. However, as the Deputy stated, community safety is not just about policing. To build safe and secure communities, contributions are needed from across government and society. Our approach to community safety is based on this principle. The national rural safety forum is a perfect example of this approach. Its members consist of Government Departments, State agencies, social enterprises and representative organisations. The forum is co-chaired by the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and An Garda Síochána and provides a space for organisations to bring forward issues, which can be addressed in a collaborative manner. Working in conjunction with the forum, the Department developed the Rural Safety Plan 2025-2027, the second plan aiming to promote safety in rural communities. The plan was launched at the national ploughing championships last year alongside the deputy president of the IFA and the assistant Garda commissioner for community engagement. Local community safety partnerships are also undertaking important work in communities, including in Ballinasloe, bringing together local agencies, community organisations and residents to identify and address the issues that matter most to people. Through collaboration, prevention and community engagement, these partnerships are helping to build safer and more inclusive communities and ensuring local voices play a central role in shaping solutions to local safety concerns.