Tipperary TD argues claims of more Gardaí in Clonmel are misleading

Government representatives in Tipperary stand accused of presenting a distorted picture of Garda strength. The charge came from Seamus Healy, an Independent TD, during a Dáil debate on anti-social behaviour.

Mr Healy took issue with claims that the latest batch of Garda graduates from Templemore would bolster Clonmel station. Two government members, he noted, had announced the allocation of four new officers.

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The reality, he said, was rather different: five Gardaí had left the station through transfers and retirement. The net result was not a gain but a loss of two. “Misleading announcements like this are unacceptable,” he told the chamber.

Beyond the arithmetic, Mr Healy pointed to what he described as the erosion of community policing. In 2010 there were nearly 1,200 Community Gardaí nationwide; by the end of last year, that number had fallen to 700.

Tipperary, he argued, has been especially hard hit. The county once had 108 Community Gardaí. Today, he said, the number is “in single figures”. Clonmel itself, with a population of around 17,000, is served by just one.

Community policing, Mr Healy argued, is indispensable for building trust between Gardaí and residents. Yet the few remaining officers, he said, are “stretched and stressed to the limit.”

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