Ann Graves addresses the Minister about policing in Fingal East, calling for improved resourcing, pay and a new Garda station in Swords. She warns that low starting pay and rising housing costs are undermining recruitment and that the existing Swords station is not fit for the town's population.
Main points and demand
Ann Graves thanks community Gardaí for their service and stresses that tackling crime requires a whole-of-government response. She urged the Minister to increase Garda numbers, improve pay and conditions, and prioritise a new fully functional Garda station for Swords to serve its growing population.
Local impact and facilities
Graves outlined how the current station was built for a village and now serves a town of over 41,000, along with surrounding areas including Donabate and Portmarnock. She argued that the building and resources no longer meet operational needs and that satellite stations and a new district structure should be considered.
Recruitment and pay pressures
The speech highlights recruitment challenges: starting pay under £40,000 and a housing market that prices new recruits out of the area. Graves linked these pressures to long-term community safety risks unless pay, housing and recruitment are addressed together.
Call to visit and next steps
Graves invited the Minister to visit Swords station to see conditions first-hand and repeated her request for commitments on a new station and better resourcing. The address frames the issues as urgent local priorities with national implications for policing capacity.
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Minister, I want to start by taking the opportunity to acknowledge the work that's done by several members of An Garda Síochána, particularly our community Gardaí who do their jobs under very difficult circumstances. Tackling the causes and consequences of crime is not just about law and order and it can't only be left to the Gardaí. It's about having sufficient Gardaí numbers, adequately resourced to work within the communities that they serve. Community safety requires a whole of government responsibility and it requires an inter-agency approach. The Gardaí not only have to battle against crime but they also have to battle for better pay and conditions. We're looking at a starting pay for Gardaí of less than £40,000. They're competing in a housing market which is pricing new recruits out of Dublin and indeed most areas, all while working in conditions that are simply just not good enough for them. In my constituency of Fingal East, Swords needs a new Gardaí station that's fit for purpose. The existing station was built to deal with what was then a village. It's now serving a town with a population of over 41,000 and grown. You're aware of this Minister because I met with you and I spoke with you about it in October last year. Swords station serves Swords, Donabay, Portmarnick and most of Fingal East. The Gardaí provide the best service they can with limited resources. The station is simply not fit for purpose. There's been planned upgrades since 2005 and the public and the Gardaí both deserve better. We deserve a new fully functional Gardaí station that meets the needs of a community with a grown population and satellite stations to serve the other growing towns served by Swords. Swords is currently part of a large district with its headquarters in Coulach. The area includes Coulach, Malahide, Swords, Donabay, Rolston and all the way out to Coolquay. With an ever-growing population, the future policing in the area needs the creation of a new Gardaí district with Swords as its centre point. Minister, you agree to visit Swords station and see for yourself the conditions that the Gardaí are working under and I once again extend that invitation.
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