Garda groups hit out at speed of station closures

All but two of the 100 Garda stations set for closure are to shut by the end of this month, according to Garda management plans due to be announced in the coming days.

Garda staff associations have strongly criticised the speed of the closures, saying the process was “rushed” and that not enough time was being given to communities and gardaí affected.

The associations said gardaí were no longer going to be at the heart of rural communities and may become a “response service” — responding to crime rather than also preventing it by having a presence in communities.