State ‘abdicating’ responsibility in fight against crime

The president of the association which represents the country’s frontline gardaí has accused the Government and Department of Justice of abdicating their responsibility in the fight against crime.

Garda Representative Association (GRA) president John Parker was reacting to a statement from the Department of Justice which said Garda management are “satisfied that a comprehensive policing service continues to be provided throughout the country”. The GRA has said it can’t effectively provide cover for large swathes of rural Ireland because of cuts to manpower and increasing loss of patrol cars which have to be taken off the road when they reach 300,000kms.

The Department of Justice said “the provision and allocation of Garda resources, including transport, is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, who is best placed to determine how vehicles should be deployed to meet Garda operational requirements”.