NEWS SPECIAL: Gardai cutbacks - Rural policing badly hit

Rural policing is facing a fresh threat as falling Garda numbers begin to hit detective units and specialist squads hard.

Having already braced themselves for the imminent closure of 95 Garda stations this week, rural communities are now confronted with the impact of cuts to dedicated teams.

The cuts are hitting both detective units — which investigate crimes such as burglaries, robberies, assaults, sex crimes, and murders — and specialist squads, including drug units, crime prevention units and traffic corps.