Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

Army Barracks Closures: Motion

 

12:00 pm

Photo of Trevor Ó ClochartaighTrevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Absolutely, we believe the Minister in question is looking at rationalisation across the whole of his Department and it is important to look at the motion in that context. This is being done in the context, as my colleague Senator Kathryn Reilly said,of cutbacks. In a couple of weeks time, the Government will hand over €700 million of taxpayers' money. The people would much prefer that the money be spent on services, such as the barracks and the Garda stations. The GRA said to close down Garda stations would have a profound effect not only on the community but on their members' ability to do their job. I am sure the Army would say exactly the same thing. There is a great fear among the community about the level of policing and the number of Garda. It is such an important service that it needs to be reinvested in. The local Garda station is an imperative in an area, no more than the backup it would get from the Army. We argue that these cuts should not be brought in and the Minister should reconsider. Everything that can be done to keep these essential services like the Garda and the Army in the local community should be done. The time of an economic cutback is not the time to make cuts of these sorts. Our fear of what would happen in rural areas is that if one loses the presence of these essential services, there will be a significant increase in criminal activity. The mere presence of positive community policing, for example, has a much better deterrent effect than not having a service in an area.

Is ar an bhunús sin atá muid ag moladh gur cóir go mbeadh an dá rud seo ceangailte. Go deimhin, oibríonn an dá eagraíocht seo, An Airm agus An Garda Síochána, go dlúth lena chéile. Tá siad ann lenár muintir agus ár bpobal a chosaint agus le déanamh cinnte gur féidir linn bun seirbhísí pobail a chur ar fáil, ar nós seirbhís ó gardaí áitiúla le pas a dheimhniú agus mar sin de. Tá sé iontach tábhachtach go dtabharfar tacaíocht dá leithéíd.

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