Garda Tony Golden raised a number of concerns about the lack of police resources in the Dundalk district two years before his murder earlier this month.

In the handwritten document given to a community group on the Cooley Peninsula in 2013, Garda Golden also voiced the fears of his colleagues that the overtime that had been made available for the murder investigation into Garda Adrian Donohoe in 2013 would not be continued into 2014.

He detailed a 21% reduction in manpower in the Dundalk district between 2009 and 2013 and wrote that gardaí were unable to use their full annual leave days due to lack of resources, meaning they had to carry over leave to the following year.

"Dundalk District is highly dependent on gardaí working overtime to function," he added, saying that his views were representatives of gardaí in the district.

Omeath and Carlingford had been left particularly vulnerable, as gardaí there were used to cover shifts in Dundalk for League of Ireland games, preserving crime scenes and VIP visits. Members absent on maternity or long-term leave resulted in "stretching already under pressure units," Golden wrote

Since the death of Garda Golden, two sergeants and 25 gardaí have been deployed to the Dundalk District.

Johnny Larkin is the Chairman of the Cooley Peninsula Community Alert Group:

Images of Garda Golden's document are provided below, as well as a report by Chairman of the Cooley Peninsula Community Alert Group: