Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I begin by expressing my sympathies to the wife and family of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe who was so callously killed last Friday night in County Louth. Like those who gunned down Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare in 1996, those responsible for this murder are nothing other than ruthless criminals, cowards and callous killers. I know that everybody in this House joins with the Minister in wishing the gardaí every success in tracking them down and bringing them to justice.

I compliment our justice spokesperson, Deputy Niall Collins, on bringing forward this motion. I want to be clear that we fully accept that there is no connection whatsoever between the horrific events of last Friday night and the contents of this motion.

I refer to the issue of the closure of Garda stations and what I regard as the downgrading of the Garda force. I read the Fine Gael manifesto today to see if the Minister had told people two years ago in the general election that that is what he intended to do but I was surprised to find in the manifesto that two years ago Fine Gael stated that it will put an increased emphasis on community gardaí and encourage members to live in the communities they serve. It went on to state: "We do not believe that the closure of rural Garda stations will deliver any significant savings to the State." That is all the Minister had to say to the people two years ago on the future of Garda stations. He left them with the clear impression that Garda stations throughout the country, particularly in rural areas, were safe under Fine Gael yet we now know that the truth, as in so many other areas, is altogether different from the promises he made to the people.

Cork county will be very seriously affected by the closures this week and no doubt by future changes the Minister and the Garda Commissioner are planning. In Cork alone the following stations are closing - Barrack Street, McCurtain Street, Mallow Road, Rathduff, Ballinspittle, Adrigole and Meelin. A number of other stations will have their opening hours substantially reduced including the Bridewell, Mayfield, Watercourse Road, Glanmire, Gurranabrather and Togher.

The net effect of that in Cork city is that the second largest city in the country will now have one 24 hour station serving the entire population. The Minister is leaving the Garda force in Cork city in a threadbare state. He is giving encouragement to the criminal world, the people who seek any excuse to engage in criminality. They will now be given greater opportunity by virtue of the cutbacks that he and the Garda Commissioner are implementing. That will be the effect of it.

We all know that this is not the end of the Minister's agenda and that there will be more cuts and more Garda stations closed as a result of his initiatives. I live in a substantially urban constituency but people in Crosshaven and Passage West, in County Cork are deeply concerned that they will be next on the Minister's target list. I want the Minister to give a reassurance to the people tonight that this is the end of what he is proposing in regard to the downgrading of the physical infrastructure, the Garda stations and the opening hours in Garda stations throughout the country.

What the Minister does not appear to grasp is that the Garda station is the focal point in a community, particularly in a rural community. Somebody living in that community will be far more inclined to walk into the local Garda station. They might have built up a relationship with the local garda and will be more inclined to pass on information and intelligence to that garda than if that garda and a colleague are driving through their community at 50 or 60 km/h in a Garda car. That is the reality and that is the consequence of what the Minister is doing. That type of Garda model which has been so successful in recent decades and which is based on trust and building up relationships in the community is centred on the local Garda station. That is now being systematically dismantled with 95 stations closing on Thursday and further stations closing throughout the course of this year and perhaps beyond that.

I plead with the Minister at the very least to give people information as to his plans for the future. He should let them know what his plans are for future consolidation of stations throughout the country because this will have an impact and it will give succour to criminals who are looking for any opportunity to carry out their trade.

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