Ex-chief hits out at Garda closures, but guns no safeguard

A former top garda has blamed the closure of rural stations for creating fear in isolated communities but he warned homeowners against believing guns would keep them safe.

Retired assistant commissioner Martin Donnellan said he found “very disturbing” the results of an Irish Examiner/ICMSA poll showing more than eight out of 10 farmers felt they should be allowed own a gun to protect their property. He said he understood their frustration.

“There is no doubt that rural crime is expanding. Our road system is very good. We have people driving the length and breadth of the country in the one day and they will steal anything that is not chained down,” said Mr Donnellan.

However, he told RTÉ Radio that keeping guns was not the answer, because of the danger of intruders getting hold of the weapons and turning them on householders, along with the fallout that would ensue if a householder shot an intruder. “Effective policing is the answer. The best form of crime prevention is people on the beat,” he said, criticising the decision to close 95 rural Garda stations earlier this year. “The sad part about the closure of Garda stations is that it meant very little financially, but it took away that point of contact between the local people and the gardaí. That system worked since gardaí were set up in 1922, and it worked very effectively.”

He also dismissed the now apparently-abandoned idea of mobile stations. “That was just a sop to the public at the time and, anyway, the idea of mobile Garda stations was ridiculous.”

Farmers representative group the ICMSA also hit out at the closures, saying, against that backdrop, the poll findings on gun ownership were not surprising.

A rural crime prevention scheme was launched with the joint involvement of the gardaí, Muintir na Tíre and the Irish Farmers’ Association. IFA president John Bryan said the community text initiative was a key step in crime prevention.

“From today, each one of our most senior officers at branch and county level will receive regular texts from An Garda Síochána as part of the initiative. This will provide a very important tool in community-based crime prevention,” he said.

President of Muintir na Tíre John Hogan said the text initiative was an important tool in fighting crime.

“It has the potential to make a real difference to quality of life for communities by connecting the work of an Garda Síochána with community groups in a real and tangible way.”