An Garda Síochána: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-13
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Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I concur with my colleague Senator Ahearn on the relocation issue. I have been trying to help a couple of gardaí in that way as well. Again, they are looking at leaving because they just cannot get closer to home, and especially for women who might have had a baby or are planning a family and do not want to be too far away.
I am proud to support this Fine Gael motion. I thank Senators Kelleher and Noel O'Donovan. The motion includes proposals around the online harassment of gardaí, Garda pursuit driving rules, a dedicated Garda driving licence category, stronger public policing capacity, and further Garda recruitment support measures.
As someone living in Meath we have all seen how much pressure gardaí are under locally. Incidents in Navan in particular, and across the county, over the last year have shown that policing today is far more dangerous and unpredictable than it used to be. Our Garda numbers in Meath are: 103 gardaí in Navan; 48 gardaí in Trim; 36 gardaí in Kells; and 155 gardaí in Ashbourne. Gardaí are responding to violent assaults, armed incidents, public disorder situations, dangerous driving, organised crime, and mental health crises. Sometimes that can all be in one shift. When people dial 999 they expect gardaí to run towards danger on behalf of the rest of us. It is only fair that the State gives them the protection, clarity and support they need to do their job safely.
With the 999 calls, people are now told to ring 999 even for the smallest instances like someone stealing a can of Red Bull out of a shop. Many of us would feel that ringing this number should only be for emergencies. In the past we would have called the Garda station, so this is something that people are finding hard to get used to.
These days, gardaí are for our St. Patrick’s Day parades, our Darkness into Light walks and the turning on of our Christmas tree lights. They support our communities and we need to support them. The proposals around stronger penalties for intimidation and abuse are important because no garda or their family should have to live with threats or harassment simply for doing their job. We have also seen how quickly public order situations can escalate, which is why having properly trained public order units matters for community safety.
The motion also recognises that gardaí need clearer operational rules, especially around pursuit driving and emergency response. Split-second decisions should not leave members fearing unfair personal consequences when they are trying to protect the public. Most importantly, supporting gardaí is about supporting safer communities. People in Meath want safe town centres, safer roads, protection from violent crime and quick emergency responses when something goes wrong. Garda members cannot provide that level of service if they feel unsupported or overstretched. This motion sends a message that we absolutely value the work gardaí do every day and that we are prepared to stand behind them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-13