Community 'will suffer' if garda stations are closed
DUHALLOW will "suffer greatly" if rural garda stations are shut down and crime levels would spiral upwards according to GRA representative Pat O'Sullivan.
There are 703 Garda stations in the country and the recently published McCarthy report has recommended about half of them should be closed and sold. This could very well mean that Garda stations in Boherbue, Ballydesmond and Knocknagree are in for the chop, and staff deployed to Kanturk and Millstreet.
Garda O'Sullivan said Kanturk and Macroom Garda Stations are cramped, outdated and in urgent need of an overhaul to cater for its present staff numbers, and the influx of possible extra staff would lead to a "health and safety concern". He said the GRA would, "without question", be vehemently opposed to the closure of rural stations.
However, he said that An Bord Snip Nua recommendations remain for the time being as recommendations and not implementation. He said should half of rural Garda Stations be axed, it would have to get the stamp of approval from Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.
Garda O'Sullivan said the McCarthy report was "high-handed" as the GRA were not at all consulted in its drafting.
"Rural policing has always been a two way street. The community interact with the Gardai and the Gardai interact with the community. The local community must and absolutely deserve a Garda presence," he said.
Over the last number of days, he said he has been inundated with calls from Gardai who have been stationed in a rural area for over ten or 20 years and now face the very real prospect of it being axed and moving to a new station.
"Without question it is the community who will suffer as having a plethora of Gardai in one region as opposed to be in their rural community can lead to a rise crime levels," he said.
The McCarthy report has called for a garda funding reduction by €63.2million, or at least a minimum of €50million. The report also stated that garda pay and allowances bill had reached €904million a year compared with €530m in 2001. The report has also recommended a "slowing down" in the replacement of garda vehicles, which could deliver savings of €2million annually. It is also proposed the instalment of CCTV systems in communities be "shelved" to save €5 million annually.
- MARIA HERLIHY mherlihy@corkman.ie
