Town to get temporary Garda station

A LEADING tourist town whose Garda station was gutted by arsonists last year is finally getting a temporary station.

The Minister for Justice has confirmed that the Office of Public Works has completed the planning process and will have a temporary garda station in place in Blarney village in Co Cork within a matter of weeks.

It will be located in a temporary structure close to the gates of Blarney Castle.

Fine Gael local election candidate Pat Burton welcomed the news but said it was a far from ideal situation.

“It is very important to have a garda presence in Blarney, especially with the development of a cash storage depot nearby and the start of the tourist season,” he said.

The original garda station was completely gutted in a arson attack last October.

Since then, the town’s two sergeants, 12 uniformed gardaí, one plain clothes detective and two clerical workers have been operating out of a four-metre-square office in the garda district’s headquarters in Gurranabraher, eight kilometres away.

The State has been paying about €18,000 a month to maintain this situation – €14,000 per month for subsistence and travel for each member, €3,000 per month for overtime to qualified drivers to bring the mobile command unit to and from Blarney, and €600 per month for storage facilities for garda equipment.

Fine Gael quizzed the justice minister on the issue and he responded last week. He also said plans to refurbish the existing station will be examined.

Mr Burton said people in Blarney have been very concerned that following the arson attack, they might lose their garda station.

“People on the doorstep were annoyed arsonists left them without a garda presence for so long,” he said.

He said once the temporary facility is in place, the Government must work quickly to repair the damaged garda station, and then boost garda cover in the town at weekends.

“It is absolutely vital that the garda station stays,” Mr Burton said.