This article is from page 10 of the 2013-01-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
CLARE’S most senior garda has said policing will not suffer in the county, provided there are no further cuts to garda numbers. Eight garda stations in Quin, Inagh, Lahinch, Broadford, Mountshannon, Doonbeg, Kilmihil and Labasheeda will close at the end of the month prompting concern in some quarters about the effect on rural areas of the county.
Senior gardaí have met with communities in recent weeks, while last week a majority of members of Clare County Council voted in favour of a motion calling on the Minister for Justice to reverse the closures.
Councillors also agreed on a motion from the Chairman of the Clare Joint Policing Committee, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) that said in the event of any station closures, all additional resources be allocated to mobile garda patrols.
A total of 48 gardai have left the Clare division since March 2010, including two superintendents and one detective inspector. No superintendent has been appointed to replace Supt Peter Duff who left his post in Ennis to return to Dublin last July. Crime levels have fallen in Clare by 33 per cent since 2008 but, speaking last week, Chief Superintendent John Kerin warned that the force in Clare would struggle to cope with any further reductions in resources.
He said, “We’ll play with the hand we’re dealt. I’m confident (we can continue to provide effective policing to rural areas), providing we don’t lose any more resources. We’re stretched.”
A reduction in the opening hours of district garda stations has also been proposed. Mr Kerin said it is possible that stations in Killaloe and Ennistymon could close between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
He explained, “The reality is that these stations have very few calls after 9pm. There are cases where guards are not being deployed to the full benefit of the communities they serve. It’s far more beneficial to the community to have guards doing checkpoints and other duties than being deskbound.”
Mr Kerin said that as 999 emergency calls are routinely directed to Ennis first, before being diverted to the relevant areas, there would be no delay in service in the event of station hours being scaled back.
The issue of station closures was to be discussed at yesterday’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee (JPC). That meeting was adjourned as a mark of respect to Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. The meeting will now take place on March 4.