There has been a 20% reduction in the number of Gardaí assigned to the drugs unit in Kerry over a 12-month period.
There are currently twelve Gardaí assigned to the unit in Kerry.
That’s according to figures which cover up to the end of February this year.
Nationally, as of the end of February, there were 318 Gardaí attached to divisional drugs units.Twelve of these are in Kerry.
Figures for the end of December last year, show there were also 12 Gardaí assigned to the unit in the county at that time, which is a drop of20% on the previous year when 15 Gardaí were asked to the Kerry drugs unit.
There were also 15 members of An Garda Síochána assigned tothe drugs unit in December 2021, while the figure stood at 10 at the end of 2020 and there were 11 Gardaí attached to the drugs unit in Kerry at the end of 2019.
The figures were provided by Minister Helen McEnteefollowing a query from Sinn Féin TD John Brady.
Minister McEntee says she is assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities.
As of the end of February, there were over 13,900 (13,930) Gardaí nationwide, which is an increase of almost 9% since the end of December 2015.
