Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion and I am pleased that the Minister for Justice and Equality is here to respond. I declare my interest in this subject as Bawnboy is my home village. I do not live there any more but that was where I was born and reared and I still have strong family connections there. In 2013 Bawnboy Garda station was one of a number of small rural stations closed in Cavan-Monaghan and throughout the country. Over the years, the members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Bawnboy station gave a great policing service to the local community. There was, and still is, a great community spirit in that area and the work of the Garda was always very strongly supported by the local community.

As the Minister is aware, that area is part of the Border region. If one goes west of Belturbet and Ballyconnell to Bawnboy, Corlough, Swanlinbar, Glangevlin, Dowra and Blacklion, it is a large rural area all along the Border. As we know and as we discussed in this House previously, there are particular policing demands on An Garda Síochána in the Border area. I was pleased that the Minister some time ago announced that six Garda stations would reopen as a result of the commitment given in the programme for Government. Bawnboy Garda station is in good order and is a relatively new building and I am anxious that it should be reopened and Garda personnel assigned to it at an early date.

One of the most striking comments I heard came from the last Garda who served in Bawnboy station, Garda Imelda Gallagher. She stated at her retirement function that she regretted the closure of small rural Garda stations. One sentence she uttered that night has stuck with me. She said that she got to know the local people and the people got to know the local garda on the ground. No means of communications can ever equal that knowledge between An Garda Síochána and the members of the public. I implore the Minister to ask the Garda authorities to have this station reopened as soon as possible.

He is well aware, and we discussed this previously in this House, of the anxieties and concerns in Border communities in respect of crime levels. We know that not all of the criminality emanates from outside of our jurisdiction and plenty of it is from people residing here. The added dimension to criminality in the Border area, however, is that some of the culprits, criminals and thugs can get away very quickly out of our jurisdiction when they commit a crime along that corridor, as they can elsewhere along the Border as well. I emphasise again the particular additional policing demands on the Garda in the Border region. We need the station reopened in Bawnboy and we need gardaí assigned to it as soon as possible. I hope the Minster will convey to the Garda Commissioner and the senior management of An Garda Síochána the need for this station to be reopened quickly. From a layperson's point of view, the Garda station is modern, in good condition and it would cost very little to have it reopened.

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