Letterkenny gardaí put in place a blanket ban on overtime among its members in a bid to highlight concerns regarding staffing levels in Donegal town.
Supt Jim Gallagher confirmed that they had received communication from the Garda Representative Association (GRA) to say the ban had come into effect from last Thursday. "The GRA have indicated that they are concerned at the lack of numbers but we, as a management team, are taking action to ensure that numbers are not depleted this weekend," Supt Gallagher said.
One garda said they felt they had to do something to highlight their concerns. "It's getting that bad that we're becoming concerned for our own safety and we felt that we needed to do something. We're fed up operating one-man patrols, especially along the Border areas," he said.
The issue was raised at the July meeting of Letterkenny Town Council on Monday night by Fine Gael Cllr Sean Maloney, who sought an urgent meeting with Chief Supt Catherine Clancy.Explaining that members had met Chief Supt Clancy last year, Cllr Maloney claimed there had been little movement on issues in the intervening period. "I would have questions with regard to garda morale in Letterkenny," Cllr Maloney said. "Letterkenny is a good town and it's important that it is policed properly."