Minister Ahern 'out of touch with reality', say gardaí

Rank and file gardaí lashed out at Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today over his remarks that the force was among the best paid and resourced in Europe.

Delegates at the Garda Representative Association (GRA) annual conference claimed they are enduring third-world conditions in stations around the country.

In one case, officers are preparing to walk out because the state of their station is so appalling, it was warned.

Garda Ultan Sherlock, based at Stepaside in the Dun Laoghaire division, said it was absolutely farcical that Mr Ahern ranked the force among the best off in Europe, earlier this year.

“Our colleagues in Macroom are about to walk out of the station, because they are working in a hovel,” he said.

“The Garda training centre is empty, members are leaving everyday.”

Delegates passed a motion condemning Mr Ahern as being out of touch with the reality on the subject of Garda resources.

Gda Thomas Keane, of Ennis station in the Clare division, said 160 cars in the Garda’s entire 260-strong fleet were more than four years old.

Of these, just 47% passed the NCT, with 14 retested after minor work and 61 cars needing major repairs.

The conference heard the Garda has not bought any new patrol cars for two years with some of the fleet having clocked up more than 300,000km.

Garda Ray Wims, based at Carrick-on-Shannon in the Sligo/Leitrim division, said the main patrol car in Sligo town was “grounded” because it could not be repaired.

“We have stations which are in third world conditions, we have stations where there is a majority of females and there is no facilities for changing or showers,” he added.

Gda Wims said the deplorable conditions are reflected around the country.