Minister ‘broke pledge’ on new garda station

WORK has still not started on a new garda station in West Cork, despite promises made six months ago by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.

Last October, 25 members of the Garda Representative Association’s (GRA) national executive met in Dunmanway to highlight the issue and were assured by Mr McDowell that he would make the project a priority. A number of locals also took to the streets in protest.

Gardaí in the town have been operating out of a private terraced house since the were forced to vacate their rat-infested station in 2002.

The house has no cell, no proper interview room and no proper parking facilities for patrol cars. When they make arrests, gardaí are forced to take prisoners to Clonakilty, which means they can be absent from Dunmanway for up to two hours.

GRA national executive member for West Cork, Garda Pat O’Sullivan, said that when Mr McDowell visited Dunmanway last October, he personally assured him he would see after the problem himself.

A small piece of land, believed to be worth in the region of €3,000, needs to be acquired so an extension can be built onto the station. As far back as last summer, local politicians highlighted the need for the Office of Public Works (OPW) to acquire this land, but since then nothing has been done.

“There’s absolutely nothing happening. We’ve (the GRA) brought this up at accommodation meetings which take place between senior garda management, the Department of Justice, the OPW and our own officials. The only progress we’ve been told about is that the OPW went down and visited the site,” Garda O’Sullivan said.

“We’ve been up and down this road for years and the project hasn’t progressed one iota.”

He said he believes there is no political will to build a new station in Dunmanway, especially as nearby rural stations at Ballygurteen and Drinagh have been abandoned.

“I met Minister McDowell on the day he came to Dunmanway and he gave me his personal undertaking that he’d personally see after it himself. He’s conning the people of Dunmanway,” Garda O’Sullivan said.

A spokeswoman for Mr McDowell admitted he had given an assurance that the refurbishment would be carried out as a matter of priority. But she then said it was a matter for the OPW.

An OPW spokesman said: “The OPW intends to refurbish and extend the existing building. The plot of land at the rear of the building will be bought following ongoing negotiations with the vendor.”