31 Garda stations to shut around the country

THIRTY-ONE Garda stations around the country will close, more will reduce opening hours and Garda overtime and allowances will be cut, Justice Minister Alan Shatter announced yesterday.

Associations representing the force last night warned of a rise in crime in those areas affected by the station closures.

Mr Shatter revealed details of the closures as he announced that his gross current expenditure funding was down from €2.4 billion to €2.261bn (-6%).

The biggest reduction is in the Garda budget, down 8% to €1.315bn net, a saving of €114m.

The department is securing €79m of this in savings from reductions in garda overtime and allowances, as well as pay reductions due to falling garda numbers.

While these cuts will bite deep, the amount to be spent on consultancy services within the Garda will increase almost four-fold, from €60m to €218m.

Mr Shatter said: “In relation to the 31 actual station closures being announced, I want to assure people living in the areas close to and served by those stations that the Garda Síochána is committed to continuing to provide the most professional and effective policing service possible to them.”

In addition, a further eight stations, which are not operational, will be closed, while 10 24-hour stations in Dublin will have their hours cut.

He said the closures came as part of a wider review of the justice sector and argued that modern policing did not require “a bricks and mortar presence in every locality”.

Mr Shatter said: “The number of closures being announced today is very small compared to the 703 Garda stations listed throughout the country, which include 47 stations in Dublin. These are very high figures by international standards, and they have hardly changed since the foundation of the state, despite the huge advances in transport, communications and technology in recent years.

“I expect that there will be further rationalisation of Garda services in the years ahead.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said: “All divisional officers were asked to assess the levels of activity in each Garda station in their area. Arising from that 31 Garda stations across the country will close and a further eight stations which are currently non- operational will be formally closed.

Areas within the Department of Justice receiving an increase in funding include the Criminal Assets Bureau (+20%), State Pathologist’s Office (+127%) and the Probation Service (+4%).

Areas having their budgets significantly cut include the Coroners Service (-20%), Office for Promotion of Integration (-31%) and Disability Awareness (-72%).

The Courts Service budget has been hard hit with a 15% cut in its funding, to €54m, while the Prisons budget is down 3% to €320m.

Current spending will be further cut in 2013 and 2014, to €2.198bn and to €2bn respectively.