Garda rural presence vital, says Ahern

NOTHING WILL be done to remove Garda coverage in rural areas or reduce numbers involved in rural policing, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said yesterday.

Speaking following recommendations in the McCarthy report that almost half of all Garda stations should be closed as a cost-saving measure, Mr Ahern said the Government would be meeting on Monday to consider where to make spending cuts.

While the McCarthy report would have to form the basis of that discussion, he said the Government had in fact been considering where to make cuts since September of last year.

Mr Ahern also noted that the McCarthy report did not recommend any reduction in the numbers of gardaí or prison officers.

While he “noted” the report’s suggestion that 350 of the 705 Garda stations across the State be closed “ at a cost saving of one million euro”, he said it was simply “one of a suite of proposals for cost-saving in the justice area which will have to be considered in the round”. Asked about increasing numbers of raids on rural cash machines, Mr Ahern said he was “absolutely adamant we have to continue to have rural policing, and I will be doing nothing I assure you to take away the coverage – the great coverage we have at the moment from the guards”.

He added: “I have seen ‘Bord Snip’s’ proposals that we get rid of 350 Garda stations out of a total of 705 at a cost saving of €1 million and I note the proposal, but it is just one of a suite of proposals and obviously the Government will have to look at these all in the round when we are coming up to the budget.

“We have another meeting on Monday with [the] Cabinet and we will be discussing how we can progress some of the issues which we have been doing since September of last year . . . to bring State spending into line.”