New figures show that divisional drugs units have fewer Gardaí than a decade ago.
This is according to Cavan Monaghan Sinn Fein Deputy, Pauline Tully who has accused the Government of the “shameful” under resourcing of the units.
She said drug dealing and addiction has devastated lives and communities across Cavan and Monaghan and more needed to be done to clamp down on dealers who, she added, “terrorise local communities and the lives of ordinary people living here”.
Meanwhile, in 2010 there were 11 Gardaí in the drugs unit in Cavan-Monaghan, now there are just three.
“New figures show that for all the government’s lip service to tackling drug dealing, they have in fact failed to properly resource Garda drugs units so that there are sufficient staff to tackle this scourge,” Deputy Tully continued.
“Staffing levels in drugs units are still at austerity-era lows, despite government claims to take this issue seriously.
“I am urging the government to get their act together and ensure that they invest in the Gardaí, so that they have appropriate staffing levels and resources in these drugs units.
“This is far too important an issue for the government to be penny-pinching and spinning that their level of investment is far more than it is.
“Ordinary, decent communities are being left to suffer as a result of the government’s mishandling of this issue.
“This cannot continue.”
