TD slams announcement that there are only nine garda drugs personnel for County Kildare

A TD has lambasted the recent announcement that there are only nine drugs personnel within County Kildare.

Sinn Féin TD Réada Cronin called the government’s under-resourcing of Garda drugs units 'shameful', and accused it of failing communities locally.

Ms Cronin was commenting on new figures that came through the Oireachtas via Parliamentary Questions, which show that local drugs units still have fewer Gardaí than a decade ago when austerity cuts were implemented.

She said: "(The fact) that we have only nine Garda personnel dealing with drugs in Kildare is not acceptable.

"This under resourcing puts too much pressure on the Gardai to do this important job and sends the messages to criminals that the governments is soft on them and to communities that they don’t matter.

Réada Cronin TD, Sinn Féin

"We need more Gardai on drugs duty given the havoc dealing and addiction are wreaking on families in many parts of North Kildare."

She added that the new figures show 'that for all the government’s lip service to tackling drug dealing', that they have failed to properly resource Garda drugs units.

Ms Cronin continued: "Staffing levels in drugs units are still hovering at austerity-era lows, despite government claims to take this issue seriously.

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"We know and appreciate that staff in these units are trying their best to protect communities, but they must feel abandoned through this government’s failure to invest.

"When it comes to drugs in NORTH Kildare there’s not a moment to waste.

"The government needs to get its act together and invest in adequate staffing levels in the area of drugs... Expert Gardai solve problems and crime in this area, spin and penny-pinching don’t: Kildare deserves so much better," she concluded.