GRA President tells Garda Commissioner 'put the lights back on' in rural Garda stations

The President of the Garda Representative Association is calling on the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to re-open rural Garda stations, in order to deal with rural crime.

Dermot O'Brien says it will take 50 years to return Garda staffing levels back to 2010 levels.

Mr O'Brien said: "Now I welcome the Commissioner's comments from yesterday when she informed people that they should be putting their lights on but I’m going to urge her to put the lights on in all the homes that she owns around rural Ireland, the Garda stations.

"Put the lights back on, open them up and put Gardaí into them.

"There are a certain amount of them sold but the ones that are not sold, put the Gardaí in there and help the people of rural Ireland to relieve their fears by having the Gardai in the Garda station."