Senior Garda officers in Cork and Kerry put together contingency plans yesterday to deal with today's action by the Garda Representative Association. In Cork city only the four district headquarters - Anglesea St, Mayfield, Togher and Gurranabraher - and the Bridewell are guaranteed to remain open as normal.
Chief Supt Adrian Culligan said yesterday the Garda would be more restricted in providing cover on this occasion because of the work-to-rule by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors. He said: "That obviously is going to affect us but we will have some student gardai available. We're lucky in that we're one of the major training centres for student gardai but they don't have Garda powers - they don't have powers of arrest for example."
Chief Supt Culligan expressed disappointment that the GRA had not given 48 hours' notice before commencing the action. "It's a pity that when they said they would give 48 hours, they gave less than 24 hours' notice."
Speaking in Cork yesterday, the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said he believed that the Government should concede full trade union status to the GRA and allow it affiliate to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Mr Quinn said he didn't believe that granting trade union status to the GRA would undermine State security. Gardai in Galway are expected to give 100 per cent support to today's action, according to a spokesman for the GRA. Mr Tony Hand said there had been total support in Galway for the last "blue flu" protest in May and a similar rate of absenteeism was expected this time from over 300 gardai in the Galway division.
Garda chiefs in the Limerick, Clare and Tipperary divisions are confident a contingency plan for today's one-day stoppage will meet policing needs.
Chief Supt William Harris, Thurles, who is in charge of the Tipperary division, said his contingency plan is timed to come into operation at 6 a.m. "All the district stations will be providing a 24-hour policing service, which will be available to the general public".
A plan has been put in place by senior gardai in Waterford to ensure they will have personnel on patrol to deal with whatever problems may arise as their colleagues "go sick" today.
???????i based in the Waterford area had given their full support to the "blue flu" campaign and no GRA none of their members would be reporting for work between six a.m. this morning and six a.m. tomorrow morning.
"Our members want militant action and are all for fighting. There will be more support for this day of action than the last time," said one GRA representative in the Louth/Meath division yesterday. While the level of support for today's "blue flu" protest will become clear as the day progresses, this time even gardai who are officially off have been instructed to ring in sick.
Operating Border security was taken into consideration when devising plans for the division's protest.
Normal security will be in place at Portlaoise Prison, a spokesperson at Portlaoise Garda Station said last night.
Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Birr and Tullamore stations will remain open to provide a counter service and respond to emergencies.