Garda numbers in Loughrea are at breaking point – and are well below the minimum required to run an effective police force in the area.
That’s according to Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte, who says the dangerously low numbers are putting the operation of a safe service at risk.
She claims senior Garda managment say they need a minimum of six new recruits to relieve the immediate pressure in the Loughrea district.
Only five new Garda recruits have been assigned to the entire county since 2009.
In January, a parliamentary reply to Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty revealed that the number of Gardai stationed in Galway has dropped from 601 to 565 over the past five years.
Deputy Rabbitte says that while there are problems all across Galway, the situation in Loughrea is particularly bad.
She says the effects of low Garda numbers can be seen in towns and villages across the district.
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