Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said people are entitled to feel safe when walking in the country's towns and cities at night.
Mr Varadkar will next week meet the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, to discuss the issue.
The Taoiseach told the media this afternoon that many people believe "our cities kind of deteriorated during the pandemic period and have never really come back to the level of safety that they were."
Mr Varadkar said the issue needs to be fixed and that means having a more visible presence of gardaí on the streets.
He added that it also means tougher sentences which will involve resourcing the courts and prisons.
Community safety partnerships, improved street lighting and more CCTV will be important too, Mr Varadkar said.
There is also a possibility of allowing people aged over 35 years old to join the gardaí as part of the efforts to boost recruitment.
