Recent figures published in the Dáil show there are 132 fewer gardaí on duty in Cork City and County, compared to 1,382 at the end of 2020.

Mr McGrath said many stations are not open to the public for sufficient hours, which is also “unacceptable”.

He said it was also unacceptable that of the 108 trainees who graduated from Temple-more last month, only 10 were sent to cover the entire southern region – Cork, Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry.

“Garda numbers in Ireland are below the European average and well below those in countries with the highest police-to-population ratios. Ireland has 291 gardaí per 100,000 people, compared to an average of 328 police officers per 100,000 people across 35 European countries,” said Social Democrat councilor Ann Bambury.

She added that the government must look to our European counterparts like Portugal, “which embody excellent policing with sufficient numbers on the ground.”

Ms Bambury said to copy the Portuguese model, Garda numbers would need to reach 18,076 by 2029 and 22,584 by 2037.

Fine Gael councilor Anthony Barry said the Garda figures in no way reflect the increase in population. He said in his home town of Carrigtwohill there were three full-time gardaí based there 20 years ago policing a population of 2,000 at the time.

“There are supposed to be four (Garda) members attached to the station now. It’s closed almost all the time and we now have a population of around 8,000,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councilor Patrick Mulcahy said the new operating model ties up gardaí in specialist units and there are not enough of them on the front line visible on the ground.

Independent councilor Mary Linehan-Foley said too many people “are busy with office work and paperwork instead of being on the streets” and act as a visible deterrent to crime.

Independent councilor Danny Collins said stations had been closed in West Cork and others had been downgraded in terms of operating hours due to reduced numbers.

Fine Gael town councilor Marie O’Sullivan said extra gardaí are being deployed to the Kinsale rugby sevens tournament and their visibility on the streets is a definite deterrent to crime.

“When we were young, gardaí were everywhere and we knew them. There was huge visibility then, but not now,” said Fianna Fáil councilor Deirdre O’Brien.