This article is from page 9 of the 2008-06-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
THE number of gardai employed in the Clare Garda Division last year dropped, according to latest figures provided by the Department of Jus- nes
Last night, Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said it was disappointing that the Clare division had shown a drop in strength at a time of continuing pop- ulation growth.
The figures supplied to the Clare deputy by Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern show that the numbers em- ployed in Clare last year dropped from 318 at the start of the year to 314 to year end.
Additional gardai have been em- ployed in Clare since the start of this year. However, the drop in personnel last year compared unfavourably to neighbouring counties.
Garda numbers in Limerick in- creased from 532 to 593, while the numbers in ‘Tipperary increased from 338 to 361.
The strength of Garda divisions in Galway East and Galway West also increased. Louth-Meath was the only other Garda division to see a drop in numbers.
Minister Ahern said that as with any large organisation personnel strengths of individual divisions,
districts and stations may fluctuate due to promotions, retirements and WETS CECE
Deputy Carey said it was disap- pointing that Clare lost four gardai in the past year, particularly at a time of continuing population growth. The simple fact is that Garda numbers should not be declining.
“A well staffed, resourced and bet- ter equipped Garda force 1s essential. We’re very fortunate in this country to have such as well-respected and professional Garda force.
“The gardai in Clare work extreme- ly hard, but they need more col- leagues on the ground just as much as the citizens of Clare also need to see more gardai on the streets.
“Community policing is also an in- tegral part of the policing responsi- bilities of gardai, enabling the force to assert its moral authority in a spirit of co-operation and inclusion. It is also a key factor in building vital partnerships at community level.
“Co-operative policing is the way forward and for that to work at a local level, there needs to be the numbers of community police on the ground to implement this policy effectively. In Clare, this is simply not the case and the good work being done by community gardai is undermined by a lack of numbers,” he said.