Comment: We shouldn't be getting used to a lack of gardai on our streets
The lack of Garda personnel serving Meath is not a new story, it is an annual staple of Joint Policing Ctte meetings and indeed, this newspaper.
And the fear is that we have become almost accepting of it, immune to the consequences of diminishing Garda numbers serving a population that has grown exponentially in the last two decades.
The Meath Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting heard this week that there are just 303 sworn gardaí in the county. In 2009, when those records started to be collated, Meath had 315 gardaí.
Over the years the figures have ebbed and flowed but ultimately arrive at a point where we are back where we started.
Only Meath hasn't stood still. It's population now stands at over 220,000 at last census count. Census 2016 results showed that Meath was one of the fastest growing counties in the country with Meath's population growing by 5.9 per cent in five years to 195,044. In 2011 it was 184,135.
It's clear that the numbers of gardai assigned to the Royal County since 2009 when accurate records of personnel commenced, the force has failed to keep pace with the burgeoning population of the county and even Deputy Darren O'Rourke would agree, that cannot all be levelled at current Justice Minister, Helen McEntee's doorstep.
Deputy Darren O'Rourke, who attended the most recent JPC meeting said: “Garda numbers in Meath have gone from bad to worse under the stewardship of Minister Helen McEntee.” “Meath's position as the county with the lowest number of gardaí per head of population has been cemented under Minister Helen McEntee."
Responding Minister McEntee said she was acutely aware that Meath was below where it should be in terms of Garda numbers, but Meath will benefit from increased recruitment and outside of Dublin, had the highest number of new recruits allocated last year.
Minister McEntee said that despite receiving the highest number of new gardai outside of Dublin last year, Meath is still “playing catch up.”
She said she wanted to acknowledge the great job the Meath gardai are doing in what is a very busy county.
A very busy county indeed, with local communities and towns crying out for greater visibility of law enforcement and clampdowns on drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and worse, an overriding sense that it's not going to get better any time soon.
Maybe we are just becoming immune to it after all... and that in itself is criminal.
- Leader piece first appeared in this week's edition of the paper.