An Garda Síochána
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

I remain committed to recommendation number four. I want to see an extra 1,000 gardaí in Dublin. However, the Deputy was in government as well. He knows that things do not just happen with a click of the fingers or overnight. In order to get 1,000 new gardaí into the force in Dublin, I need to recruit them nationally. That cannot happen overnight. I am sure the Deputy can appreciate the challenges associated with that. The point I was making to Deputy Gannon is one I made about something said by a previous opposition spokesperson, that when you walk around Dublin and not just Leinster House, high visibility of gardaí is evident. That is the case. People say it to me and to lots of people in this House. It is apparent and it is making a dramatic improving impact on the city and people's sense of safety. I remain committed to recommendation number four but the most important priority is to get gardaí out on the streets, so people feel a sense of safety, not just in the city centre but in residential areas throughout the country.

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