Garda body opposes recommendations to close rural stations
Speaking yesterday on RTÉ radio, GRA president Micheal O’Boyce disputed an implication in the report that many rural garda stations were largely unused.
Mr O’Boyce said: “I don’t know of any garda stations that are only buildings that don’t have gardaí based in them. As far as I know, any station I’m aware of in rural Ireland have guards attached to it.”
He added: “From my experience I wouldn’t recommend closing any station I know... The actual opening of a station is not the issue, the issue is having gardaí based in an area. Those garda, when the base is not open, are out and about in the community they serve.”
There are 703 Garda stations in the country and the McCarthy report has recommended about half of them should be closed and sold. The McCarthy report calls for a Garda funding reduction by €63.2m, or at least a minimum of €50m.
The report notes the Garda pay and allowances bill has reached €904m a year compared with €530m in 2001. Some €80m of the bill is overtime, with €217m going on 57 different allowances.
The report has recommended a “slowing down” in the replacement of Garda vehicles, which could deliver savings of €2m annually. It is also proposed the instalment of CCTV systems in communities be “shelved” to save €5m annually.
Mr O’Boyce said his organisation had already presented the government with proposals which would result in a similar saving of €50m and be supported by members of the force. He said the government “would be surprised by the innovation” the gardaí could bring to a cutback scheme.
A GRA spokesman said its proposals had already been presented to the Taoiseach in a March report which was unavailable to the public.
Although the GRA would oppose many of the cutbacks in the McCarthy report, Mr O’Boyce ruled out a recurrence of industrial action by gardaí claiming they were to ill to work.
He said he would “never lead” a “blue flu” style action.
