Why? It is only common sense to do so.

Morale is on the floor in An Garda Síochána. The issue is not compulsory retirement but people are flocking away from the job. I salute Garda Pat Kelly who recently finished his term in Carrick-on-Suir. The number of gardaí in Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Cahir and Cashel is appallingly and frighteningly low. How far will the Government leave this go before it gives proper recognition and support? I refer to boots on the ground, not officials in offices, bodycams or anything else. We need members of the force. An Garda Síochána in Cahir recently held a magnificent party for senior citizens. It was a wonderful community event, which has been held every year. This is the 24th year. Garda numbers are needed in order to cover each other. In Carrick-on-Suir, for instance, there is only enough gardaí to fill one roster, not to mind three or four. It is a frightening situation, and it is so unfair to the gardaí who, by and large, do an excellent job. I support them always, but they need the resources and the numbers to be safe and to keep the community safe.

I appreciate that gardaí all over the country are under a lot of pressure. As our population increases, we need to increase the number of gardaí as well. The number of gardaí is now over 14,000, up from 12,800 back in 2015 when it was at its lowest in recent years.

Funding is available to recruit 1,000 new gardaí this year. There will also be additional Garda staff. It is reasonable to point out that of the 14,000 sworn gardaí in An Garda, approximately 100 resigned last year. That is a resignation rate of about 1%. In the modern world, where people tend not to have jobs for life in the way they did, a 1% resignation rate in an organisation is well below average.