Gardaí need funding, says poll

AN independent poll on behalf of garda unions has found eight out of 10 people believe the gardaí should be properly resourced before the Government introduces a reserve force.

The poll, conducted by RED C Research and Marketing, found 53% of those surveyed think the current level of garda resourcing is quite poor or very poor. More than six in 10 disagree the Government has done all in its power to tackle crime.

Carried out on behalf of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), the poll found:

Slightly more than one in 10 believe the Government has performed well in tackling crime.

Three-quarters of respondents feel reservists will not be adequately trained and do not want them patrolling their areas. Full time police officers are preferred.

The findings of the poll are at odds with a survey carried out by the Department of Justice, published last week, which found 73% of the public supported the concept of a fully-trained reserve. This latest poll says support is at just 47%.

A total of 1,002 people over the age of 18 were surveyed.

The findings of the poll back GRA claims that a garda reserve is unworkable.

“These initial findings indicate that the public prefer to have full-time gardaí doing the job that they do best, deterring and solving crime,” said GRA President Dermot O’Donnell.

Last night a Department of Justice spokesperson said An Garda Síochána had €1.3 billion available to the force this year, an increase of 13% over 2005.

Recruitment of the first 900 of up to 4,000 reservists will begin in May.