Mr. Mark Toland:

Ireland has a significantly higher number of stations than any other jurisdiction we have been to. Scotland was interesting because it has similar geographical challenges. We also went to Northern Ireland. Most police services have centralised some functions such as prisoners. Instead of having every station with two or three cells, which are probably not always fit for keeping people, police services are looking at how they can centralise the function with one properly staffed centre where prisoners can be brought.

The problem with that in Ireland is the geographical difficulty. One has to take into account that one does not want gardaí who have arrested someone travelling for long distances. Many police services have a central point to take someone who is detained in custody but with a fall-back they can open if needed. One has to be sensible.

Some of the Garda facilities I have visited were not in a fit state. One had a tree growing through the middle of it. Many of them were built 100 years ago and are not fit for modern policing. Many of them are not in the right place because of motorways and urban generation. Traditionally, the police station was located on the high street. Sometimes they are not always in the right place. It needs a strategic approach.