This article is from page 21 of the 2012-01-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 21 JPG
THE only Garda station to close in Clare this year is Carrigaholt in the West of the county, but the Garda chief has predicted further closures in the coming years.
Chief Superintendent John Kerins told the members of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) that there will be at least 41 less members on the force in Clare at the end of February than the end of March last year.
He said that there was a wrong perception however that the Kilrush district was worst affected.
Three members of the force have retired in Kilrush in the last year, with one more likely before the end of February at which time a change to civil service pensions will be introduced.
As a result of the drop in personnel and the ever-tightening Garda budget Carrigaholt will lose its Garda station this year. The West Clare station is to close in the next two to three months the chief superintendent con firmed. The area will continued to be patrolled by gardaí from Kilrush and Kilkee.
Meanwhile the chief superintendent, in conjunction with the local su- perintendent, Gerry Wall, are planning to reassign gardaí from Kilrush to the smaller sub-stations in the area on a part time basis.
The stations, such as Labasheeda and Doonbeg, will be manned by these gardaí at advertised hours a few days a week.
Chief Supt Kerins reassured members of the JPC that he did not believe the policing service would be affected.
“We are confident that we can do it. It is a challenge but there is no choice. We are faced now with what we have got.”
Community representative on the JPC Pat Gaughran raised concerns about having small rural stations open for just a few hours a week.
“Having a station open for a few hours a few days a week is like having the A and E open nine to five,” he said.
Supt Kerins told Mr Gaughran that currently the maximum number of people calling to those stations on a daily basis is three.
“It is not necessary to open Garda stations as much as previously. The need does not exist with mobile phones available and other technology,” he said.
“We cannot continue with the serv- ice we had in the 1920s. I would much rather see a garda out in the patrol car, at a check point or on foot patrol rather that sitting in a Garda station,” said Chief Supt Kerins.
“The value of neighbourhood watch and community alert cannot be over stated,” added Supt Wall.
It was not all bad news, with the Garda Commission confirming last week that he has earmarked three new patrol cars for the county.
With the fleet reduced in the last number of months however, the gardaí in Clare are hoping that number will be increased again in February.