This article is from page 10 of the 2006-04-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
JUST two extra gardaí were allocated to Clare last year, according to the Department of Justice.
In the last five years, Garda numbers in the Kilrush and Killaloe Garda Districts have gone up by only four and decreased by one in Ennistymon, despite an increase in public order disturbances at Lahinch, in the Summer months.
But numbers in the Ennis District, which includes Shannon, have increased by 26 per cent in that time.
The figures make clear that rural parts of the county are losing out badly to Ennis, in terms of Garda manpower.
In the last five years, Garda strength in the three districts outside Ennis went from 102 to 106.
The numbers attached to the Clare Division (consisting of the four districts) increased from 259 to 261 last year. But the numbers posted to Ennis District have increased by 13 to date this year.
In the Ennistymon area, there were 34 gardaí employed in the Ennistymon District five years ago. Today, there are 33. In the same time frame, the number of gardaí in the Killaloe District, which covers most of east Clare has increased by only one, from 35 to 36. No new permanent posts have been created in the area since 2004.
In 2005, two extra gardaí were appointed to Kilrush. No additional appointments have been made this year, where currently there are 37 gardaí are stationed. However, in Ennis in the past number of months, Garda strength has gone from 155 to 168.
Commenting on the figures, the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell said that the overall increase in Clare Garda numbers “represents an increase of 39, or 17%, in the number of gardaí, all ranks, stationed in the Clare division during that period”.
But Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that the figures showed “that the entire periphery of Clare is losing out dramatically in Garda numbers and they also show that there is no real commitment from Government to rural policing, in spite of increased crime in rural areas. This policy is leaving people living in rural areas isolated and very vulnerable.”
“This is completely disproportionate and out of kilter where you have 106 Gardai patrolling a vast area,” she said.
Kilrush-based councillor, Stephen O’ Gorman (FF) said that there was a need for five or six permanent new Garda posts in Kilrush. He said he could not understand either why so few gardaí were expected to cover such a large geographical area.