Local politicians have called for more Gardaí in the Swords area.
Politicians from both government and opposition parties have raised the issue this week, with Sinn Féin TD Ann Graves, Labour councillor Corina Johnston and Fianna Fáil TD Tom Brabazon discussing the need for more policing resources.
Speaking in the Dail on Wednesday (March 25), Sinn Féin TD Graves said that Swords needs a new Garda station as the local population has hit the 40,000 mark.
Graves said that community safety requires a “whole of government responsibility” and that various government agencies needed to work together to make local areas safer.
She said that increasing starting pay would go some way to sorting the issue, noting that at present, starting pay for new recruits is less than €40,000.
“Gardaí are competing in a housing market that is pricing new recruits out of Dublin and indeed, most areas, all while working in conditions that are simply not good enough,” she said.
The Dublin Fingal East TD said, “tackling the causes and consequences of crime is not just about law and order, and it cannot be left entirely to Gardaí, it is about having sufficient Garda numbers, adequately resourced, to work within the communities they serve.”
Graves said that the current Garda station is not fit for purpose, saying that the station was built when Swords was a village, and is not fit to meet the standards of policing a 40,000+ strong town.
“The station serves Swords, Donabate, Portmarnock and most of Dublin Fingal East. The gardaí provide the best service they can with limited resources, but the station is simply not fit for purpose,” she said.
She noted that there have been planned upgrades since 2005, but in the classic Irish style, promised upgrades that were made five government terms ago have yet to be fulfilled.
“The public and the gardaí deserve better – we deserve a new, fully functional Garda station that meets the needs of the community, with its growing population, and satellite stations to serve the other growing towns served by Swords,” she said.
At present, Swords is currently part of a large Garda district with headquarters in Coolock, with the area taking in Coolock, Malahide, Swords, Donabate and Rolestown, stretching out to Coolquay.
Graves said that as a result of the ever-growing population, future policing in the area requires the creation of a new Garda district with Swords as its centre point.
“The Minister has agreed to visit Swords station and see for himself the conditions that the Gardaí are working in – I again extend my invitation,” she said.
Further up the Northside, Rush-Lusk councillor Corina Johnston has said that “urgent action” is needed to restore visible community policing and to “rebuild” trust in the Gardaí, saying that communities in coastal Fingal are being “left behind” as a result of falling Garda numbers.
The Labour councillor said “people in Fingal can see the reality on the ground; Garda visibility has dropped and response times are under pressure, and this is not acceptable.”
Johnston took aim at Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, saying that the two government parties have “failed to properly resource An Garda Siochána and the impact is being felt in towns and neighbourhoods right across Fingal.”
She said that the Rush-Lusk area now has fewer Gardaí per person than it did 15 years ago.
Per Johnston, there were 832 Gardaí in the areas covering Swords, Balbriggan, Malahide, Rush and Lusk back in 2009; in December 2025, the figure had fallen to 761.
“We have fewer Gardaí covering more people, more communities and more complex policing demands; in Fingal this translates into less visible policing, less community engagement and more pressure on an already stretched force.”
She said that community Gardaí play a “vital” role in building relationships, preventing crime and supporting vulnerable people, yet their numbers are falling.
She said that the falling Garda numbers “weaken the connection between Gardaí and the people they serve.”
“In Fingal, people want to see Gardaí on the streets, in schools and in their communities, not tied up in administrative backlogs or pulled away due to shortage.”
The Rush-Lusk councillor noted that morale within the force is also a “serious concern.”
“Gardaí who serve our communities deserve proper support, fair conditions and respect. Instead, many feel undervalued and overworked. That has real consequences for recruitment and retention; if we cannot attract and keep Gardaí, communities in Fingal will continue to lose out,” she said.
Johnston noted that “Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised thousands of new recruits but have failed to deliver. Training numbers remain too low, and there is no clear plan to reach the levels needed. Meanwhile, equipment and fleet issues continue, with outdated vehicles and inadequate resources affecting frontline policing in places like Fingal.
“People in Fingal deserve a modern, properly resourced police service that is rooted in the community and capable of keeping people safe. That means investing in recruitment, improving conditions, restoring community policing and ensuring Gardaí have the tools they need to do their job effectively,” Johnston stated.
On the government side, Fianna Fáil TD and justice spokesperson Tom Brabazon has said that a secure electronic warrant system could help reduce the workload for the Gardaí and the Courts Service.
The Dublin Bay North TD said that at present, Gardaí are required to attend court in person or with a Peace Commissioner to obtain warrants, with the process taking them away from the frontline.
Brabazon said, “Garda time is an incredibly valuable resource. Requiring members to attend court for routine warrant applications takes them away from their core role of policing and community safety, it doesn’t make sense.”
He said that his proposal would allow Gardaí to submit warrant applications electronically to a District Court judge, who could review and determine the application remotely, and added that the practice would remove the need for in-person attendance while maintaining full judicial oversight.
“At present, it can take up to two days for a warrant application just to get before a court and in that time, evidence can be moved from one location to another. This is about using technology to make the system more efficient without compromising on legal safeguards; warrants are an absolute necessity. They safeguard our constitutional rights and must be respected.”
“This proposal is purely to make that process more efficient. This proposal would allow Gardaí to be ahead of the curve and catch wrong doers in the course of wrongdoing. Judicial scrutiny cannot be compromised but it can be delivered in a more practical and time-effective way,” he said.
The Fianna Fáil TD added that an electronic system would also improve record-keeping and transparency, and would establish a clear digital record of each application and decision made.
“In addition to freeing up Garda resources, an electronic system would provide a more streamlined and accountable process, with proper records of how and when decisions are made,” he said.
He added that similar digital solutions are already in place across other areas of the justice system and that there is a “clear case” for extending this approach to warrant applications.
Brabazon called on Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to examine the introduction of such a system as part of broader efforts to modernise the court system and ensure that Garda resources are used as “effectively as possible.”