Garda shortages in Meath branded ‘unacceptable’ as new proposals unveiled
Meath’s long-running Garda shortage is having a “direct impact” on community safety and leaving residents “increasingly anxious” about crime and anti-social behaviour, a recent public meeting in Bettystown heard.
The county now has the lowest number of Gardaí per head of population in the State, despite being one of the fastest-growing regions, attendees were told.
At the meeting last night, Sinn Féin TDs Darren O’Rourke and Joanna Byrne, alongside councillor Maria White, launched a set of proposals to address the Garda recruitment and retention crisis.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr O’Rourke said: “The chronic shortage of Gardaí is being felt acutely here in Meath. As one of the fastest-growing counties, we are being left behind when it comes to Garda resources.
“Our communities are being short-changed, with significant shortfalls in vital areas like community policing and roads policing.”
According to the Meath East TD, the number of sworn officers in the county stood at 318 as of September 2025 — the same number as in 2018 and just three more than in 2009, despite a huge population increase.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” he said.
“The Government’s failure to get to grips with the recruitment and retention crisis is directly impacting the safety and well-being of people across Meath.
“We have a situation where large numbers of applicants to An Garda Síochána are not translating into new Gardaí on the beat in our towns and villages.
“The current training allowance of €354 per week is not adequate, especially for mature applicants with families and financial commitments. We also need to incentivise experienced Gardaí to stay in the force.”
Mr O’Rourke added: “The people of Meath deserve to feel safe in their communities. The fact that we have the lowest number of Gardaí per capita in the country is completely unacceptable and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
The meeting also heard a series of proposals to tackle the crisis. These include increasing the Garda training allowance to €579.15 per week from 2026, expanding the Garda College intake to 275 recruits, and targeted recruitment in working-class communities.
Further measures put forward include the introduction of a “return to policing” grant for former Gardaí, the removal of pay-scale points to speed up progression, an annual €2,500 long-service payment for officers with more than 30 years’ service, and raising the mandatory retirement age to 65.
Councillor Maria White said the proposals offered a “clear and practical pathway” to not only attract new recruits but to keep the “experienced Gardaí we already have”.
“From increasing the training allowance to introducing a long-service payment, our plan is about making a career in An Garda Síochána an attractive and viable option,” she said.
“We had a full house at our public meeting in Bettystown, which shows the depth of concern in our community about this issue. People are worried about anti-social behaviour and the visibility of Gardaí. They want to see a real plan to fix this.”
“We are calling on the Government to adopt these common-sense proposals. For Meath to get its fair share of Gardaí, we need to solve the national recruitment and retention crisis. Our communities cannot afford to wait any longer,” Cllr White added.