Fine Gael has called on the Government to reopen Garda stations in rural Ireland because of the "increasing assaults on elderly people in rural areas". Mr Tom Enright (FG, Laois/Offaly) said a previous Fianna Fail Minister for Justice, Mr Ray Burke, had introduced the policy of closing stations in smaller towns and villages.

"With their closure the green light was given to criminals that the Government was soft on crime," he said and crime had since "got out of control".

Speaking following the robbery in Co Meath, in which Mr Paddy Logan (81) died and Mr Peter Logan (83) was injured, Mr Enright said there was a need to recruit a minimum of 3,000 additional gardai.

All rural stations should be reopened and incentives should be provided to gardai to live in the areas where they were employed, he added.

Labour's Justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said Victim Support had reported that up to 1,400 elderly people were the victims of crime last year and the statistics revealed "an appalling and tragic story".

However, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, speaking for Mr O'Donoghue, pointed out that the Minister had stated no garda station would close during his tenure. He said that in the history of the State, the Garda had never been as well resourced or equipped, with 10,800 on the force when the Government came into office and 11,600 by the end of the year.

While statistics showed that 13 people aged 65 and over had been killed since January 1998, some of these deaths had arisen from domestic incidents, he said.