AS 20 additional Gardaí prepare to take up their posts in Limerick City following the recent graduations from the Garda college in Templemore, questions are being asked about when future recruits will be invested in the county.
It was announced last Friday (August 22) that the newly-graduated members of An Garda Síochána will be stationed at Henry Street (14) and Roxboro (6) in the city.
This allocation is hoped to put a dent in the ongoing drugs scourge and rising levels of anti-social behaviour in the city centre.
However, Independent Ireland TD for County Limerick Richard O’Donoghue has called for more Gardaí in rural parts of the county.
“I welcome the extra Gardaí for the city, but I would like if there was a bit of parity when it comes to the county, there should be a percentage model set up. If you get 20 in the city, you should get at least 10 in the county,” he told the Limerick Post.
Deputy O’Donoghue says resources are already stretched in the county, but that it is through no fault of members on the beat.
“There’s a lot of people depending on the Gardaí so there should be a proper dispersion. You might have a higher population in the city, but areas like Bruff and Newcastle West are covering up to 40 square miles of area,” he hit out.
Since the end of July, there has been a spate of violent incidents across the county.
Gardaí launched an investigation after a publican was threatened by a man armed with a knife in a pub in Kilmallock in the early hours of Sunday morning (August 24).
In two separate incidents, a man was shot and a car rammed on the Rathkeale-Askeaton Road on August 21, while Gardaí responded to a man threatening people with a knife in Newcastle West on August 19.
Less than two weeks prior, on August 10, a dozen men entered a rural Limerick pub armed with knives and bottles believed to contain chemicals as part of an alleged “targeted attack”.
“If people realise that they can get away with it in the county, what’s going to happen?” asked Deputy O’Donoghue. “It’s only going to escalate.”
The County TD has also reported an alleged spate of break-ins across the county in recent months.
According to the Central Statistics Office, there were 735 incidents of theft and other related offences in County Limerick last year, compared to 706 in 2023.
The number of burglaries recorded in the county also increased during this period, jumping from 177 in 2023 to 247 last year.
Welcoming to the news of an extra 20 Gardaí for the city, Labour TD for Limerick City Conor Sheehan said it is “vital to stamp out the surge in serious crime and criminality” across some city communities.
“Drug barons and criminal gangs must not be allowed to operate with impunity and ordinary working-class people deserve to feel safe in their communities,” he said.
