Labour critical of plan to close Garda stations

Plans by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, to close Garda stations, including some in urban areas, have been criticised by the Labour Party.

Mr McDowell said yesterday that he intended to rationalise the 700 stations, headquarters complexes and other Garda accommodation throughout the State.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony in the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, the Minister said that many old and outdated stations, particularly those in urban areas, would be closed.

The move would free resources for new stations while encouraging on-street policing. The Minister did not say which urban stations he had in mind for closure.

However, the Labour Party spokesman on justice, Mr Joe Costello, said: "I am shocked that the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has announced that a number of long-established Garda stations are to be closed, especially when Irish society is still experiencing such a worrying level of crime.

"I am even more shocked that the stations to be selected for closure are apparently to be those in urban areas where crime levels are at their highest," Mr Costello said.

"What sort of message is this going to send out to the criminals and to local communities that are under siege from crime and vandalism? "

Fine Gael's Justice spokesman, Mr Jim O Keeffe, said that the Government had broken its promise to provide an extra 2,000 gardaí.

The reality was that they did not have enough members to staff existing garda stations.

However, the Minister said he was fully committed to ensuring that the force was resourced with the necessary manpower and equipment as well as "strong legislative measures".

Mr McDowell insisted that proposed legislation to compel judges to testify before hearings of the Oireachtas would not interfere with the independence of the judiciary.

The Minister also said Opposition claims that the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General were to be exempt from the new measures were not accurate.

"They are exempt from testifying in relation to their own functions, the administration of their own offices only," the Minister said.

Speaking after he opened a Garda station in Templemore, Mr McDowell insisted the ability of the judiciary to carry out its function remained unfettered by the Oireachtas.

Referring to the possibility of judges being examined on their judicial roles, the Minister said: "The only circumstances where judges would be called is in the context of their removal from office".