Man suffers serious injuries after stabbing incident in Athboy

A GARDA investigation is underway following a stabbing in Athboy last night (Monday, 14th August).

The incident is understood to have occurred at around 7.30pm in the Kildalkey road area.

A man in his 20s suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Mater Hospital for treatment.

A male in his 30s was arrested after he later presented himself at Kells Garda station where he remains in custody.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O'Rourke, has called on Minister Helen McEntee and the Government to address what he described as "unsafe Garda staffing levels" in Meath.

Deputy O'Rourke said: “Communities in Meath deserve to feel safe and protected but many feel let down by Fine Gael's failures to invest in safe policing levels.

"Figures show that there are just 314 Gardaí in the Meath Division. Recent reports indicate that Co Meath has just 142 gardaí for every 100,000 people or one frontline officer for every 703 people.

“This again confirms Meath's position as the county with the lowest number of Gardaí per head of population. This is the case at a time when the local population in Meath is amongst the fastest growing in the state, so in real terms we are going backwards.

"Communities in Meath will be understandably concerned by Minister Helen McEntee's and the government's failure to deliver safe policing levels. They need to know that if a crime is committed, an appropriate and quick response will be issued.

"These latest figures come at a worrying time for Garda members and the general public. With an expanding population, Garda recruitment under this government has not kept pace with the growth in many areas.

“Figures remained stable for many years, leading to a per capita decrease, but now we are facing a perfect storm of lacklustre recruitment combined with a crisis in retention.

“This means the government is now scrambling to ensure recruitment keeps pace with retirements and resignations. Failure to do this means we don't have enough Gardaí.

“Garda numbers are not the only tool to combat many of the issues facing Meath but we do need to ensure a consistent presence within communities to reassure people who are vulnerable that they will not continue to be targeted by criminals."