Garda numbers 'have not kept pace' with growth of Kildare towns, Dáil told

A Kildare North Fine Gael TD has told the Dáil that while a number of Kildare towns have experienced significant population growth in recent years, garda numbers 'have not kept pace.'

Deputy Joe Neville told the Taoiseach on Tuesday (April 1 2025): “As someone from a Garda family, my father having served in the force and my brother currently serving, I know at first hand the vital role that an effective and well-resourced Garda service plays in keeping our community safe.

“However, in north Kildare, where towns like Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip and Naas are experiencing rapid growth, Garda numbers have not kept pace.”

Deputy Neville told the Taoiseach that Celbridge, with a population of 23,000, “has a Garda station that opens for an hour every day”, with Maynooth, a university town, having a Garda station with similar opening hours.

He added: “We are down in sergeant numbers and, despite receiving five new recruits, we are losing five members, so the balance will be the same. At the moment in Kildare, there is no crime prevention officer.

“Given the Government’s commitment to increasing Garda recruitment in the coming five years, what specific steps are we taking to ensure north Kildare receives an adequate allocation of new gardaí to reflect its growing population and policing needs?”

Responding to Deputy Neville, Taoiseach Micheal Martin paid credit to An Garda Síochána for the “outstanding work it does to keep us all safe and protect society and our citizens.”

The Taoiseach also paid tribute to Deputy Neville's family on their “distinguished contribution” to An Garda Síochána.

The Taoiseach concluded by telling Deputy Neville: “We are recruiting more and more gardaí. As we recruit more, we will be in a better position to deploy gardaí to Kildare and indeed farther afield.”

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