Rural policing - Local garda stations must reopen

It seems ironic that, while Justice Minister Michael McDowell was officially opening a new district headquarters garda station in Bantry yesterday, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) was forced to be critical that other nearby towns left bereft of any station.

Any new garda station is to be welcomed, but it would seem more sensible to the gardaí and local residents if resources were to be allocated to towns which saw stations closed down years ago and never replaced.

Such a ridiculous situation hardly improves policing in rural areas and makes towns vulnerable to criminality.