"In doing our work, the people expect from us a sacrifice of time and sacrifice, perhaps, of personal interest."

Frontline gardaí and supervisors have expressed fears that the new restructuring of the organisation will result in less, not more, policing in rural areas.

The nine Garda divisions that have lost their divisional headquarters have been revealed following an announcement by Garda HQ.

Minister of State John Halligan has joined fellow political representatives from Waterford in calling on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to ensure the city is the new headquarters of the planned merger with the Kilkenny/Carlow division.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is expected to decide in the coming weeks what garda divisions are to lose their headquarters under the new Garda restructuring strategy.

But all the chairmen of the joint policing committees spoken to agreed that the new policing model must result in additional garda resources on the ground – which Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the plan will involve.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has summoned local commanders to a meeting in the Garda College, Templemore, next Monday on his new policing plan.

Most local garda divisions are set to double in size in a massive shakeup of the Garda organisation, under proposals seen by the Irish Examiner.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring has described as ‘amazing’ the €19 million spent on administration of the Leader rural development programme, while development project expenditure only amounts to €6 million.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has 30 targets in its sights in Cork but has asked the public for more tip-offs about people who may be living suspiciously lavish lifestyles.

Twice as many rapes and sexual assaults were reported to gardaí in Cork City last year compared to 2016.

Almost 260 jobs were created by small companies in Co Cork last year with the help of more than €1m in grant-aid.

Juvenile offenders were responsible for almost half of all sexual offences recorded by gardaí in 2016.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is conducting 14 investigations in Cork city and county, targeting drug dealers, gangs of burglars, and those involved in organised prostitution.

The numbers of community gardaí have been axed by almost 40% in the last seven years and continue to fall in many divisions.

Dublin’s north inner city is the country’s main crime blackspot, with crime rates several times the national average for a range of offences including assaults, theft and illegal drugs.

Government plans to significantly expand the Garda Reserve are in question as figures show the strength of the volunteer body has collapsed by 36% in the last two years.

The Garda watchdog has welcomed improved levels of co-operation from members of the force in the past year but claims there is room for further improvement.

Burglaries in the Cork North Garda division rose by 7% over the past year at a time when such crimes fell nationally by over 18%.

A major garda garda operation in conjunction with motor rally organisers is being put in place in Killarney, Co Kerry, where up to 80,000 people are expected to congregate, this weekend, for an international event.

There are almost 115 fewer gardaí across the three Cork divisions today than five years ago, figures show.

Many companies are already benefitting from their work with enterprise support agencies - these are their stories.

The first question one could reasonably ask upon glancing through the report recommending a merger of Cork City and County Councils is — Catherine Shanahan asks; will this actually ever happen?

Overall crime levels fell by almost 2% last year, according to official Garda statistics, but crime rates actually increased in five counties, including Dublin.

Garda manpower resources in the southern region, which covers Cork, Kerry, and Limerick, fell by 2.2% last year with 48 fewer gardaí stationed in the three counties compared to 2013.

Garda drug units across the country have seen their numbers slashed by 30% in the last four years, figures reveal.

She had what many would have considered the dream job — interning for the senior style director of Elle magazine and living a Devil Wears Prada-style life in New York.

The number of recorded crimes has fallen across the three Garda divisions in Cork by a combined average of 6.7% in the past year.

Six coroners working on a part-time basis each earned more than €100,000 in State retainers and fees last year, new figures show.

The Garda Síochána is facing a "ticking timebomb" as its ageing car fleet looks set to "crash" to a halt at the same time, the head of the Garda Inspectorate has warned.

Fianna Fáil's Christopher O'Sullivan has been elected in Cork West on Count 13.

There was a sharp increase in the number of robberies across Cork’s three Garda divisions in 2013 at a time when the incidence of such crime was falling nationally.

There will be around 730 fewer Garda cars by the end of next year compared to 2009 if no extra money is made available in the budget

The strength of Garda drug units has been slashed over the last four years, official figures show.

Cuts to pay and allowances will dominate the agenda for middle- ranking gardaí as they begin their three-day annual conference today.

More than 350 gardaí in Cork have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion of no confidence in the justice minister and the Garda commissioner, in the first tangible sign of insurrection over proposed wage cuts.

One hundred garda stations are to shut in the most radical restructuring of the force since the foundation of the State.

The bureaucratic obsession with management objectives is undermining efforts to combat drug misuse, according to the head of the Southern Regional Drug Task Force.

Burglaries in Cork City and county have risen by 42% in the past three months compared to the same period 12 months ago.

FARM advisory body Teagasc has further rationalised its Knowledge Transfer Directorate.

THE director of the Clare Crusaders Clinic in Ennis yesterday claimed that vital services from the HSE are not there for children requiring speech and language therapy.

Senior gardaí will discuss how they can engage in a work-to-rule at their annual conference in Galway today.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors wants a group of armed gardaí on our streets, to cope with the increasing violence in society.

CANNABIS cultivation, sexual assaults and petty theft rose significantly across Cork last year, bucking a trend which saw a major fall-off in most crime across the county.

SIX Garda divisions have both the lowest satisfaction with gardaí and the greatest fears in relation to crime.

Seven out of 10 people believe the Garda Síochána needs to be improved, a survey carried out for the force reveals. But 81% of the population are satisfied with the overall service provided to the community.

Elite armed gardaí are beginning work today as part of a new regional strategy to tackle shootings and hostage situations.