City Garda cuts not as deep as in other areas

Galway has suffered a fall of just five per cent in the county’s Garda force – one of the smallest cuts in the country.

That is according to information released by the Department of Justice, after a query from Niall Collins TD, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Justice and Equality.

The figures released earlier in the week show that as of January 2015 Galway has 567 Gardaí, compared to a figure of 599 in 2010.

That is a decrease of five per cent over five years, while other areas lost up to one-fifth of their numbers in the past five years.

Cavan-Monaghan, for example, suffered the harshest cuts to its division, losing 22 per cent of its Gardaí in the same period.

Galway is on par with Westmeath, and just below Cork city at four per cent and Cork North at two per cent, which saw the least dramatic cuts nationally.

Galway previously saw the closure of ten stations in January 2013 as part of An Garda Síochána’s Policing Plan 2013.

Deputy Collins had registered a complaint with the Ceann Comhairle when the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald initially failed to release the documents pertaining to garda numbers. The figures were released at the weekend.

“Hiring 200 additional Gardaí is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s needed,” he said, referring to recent graduations at Templemore Training College.

The Deputy recommended that the government commit to increasing Garda levels by 14,000. There are currently 12,775 Gardaí in the country.

But Dermot O’Brien, the Galway man who is President of the Garda Representative Association, criticised the government’s management of Garda numbers.

Mr O’Brien, who is based in Tuam, said there were an estimated 12,799 Gardaí in the force – but when that was stripped down by rank and takes into account those who are sick, injured, on leave and job sharing, it is a four figure number. “And that four figure number is then divided among five units”, he said.

“Gardaí today earn a hell of a lot less than they did in 2008. They now want back what they’re owed by the government.

“Talks of percentage rises are not welcome, because that relates to productivity and Gardaí have already put in enough of that and given enough through the Croke Park and Haddington Road agreements.

“The new recruits coming in are in a poverty trap, where they’re working in a two-tier wage system and being moved to urban areas with high rents. It’s time for the government to address this issue,” he added.

Earlier this month Galway West TD Sean Kyne welcomed the announcement of additional recruitment to An Garda Síochána. “I am confident that Galway will get its fair share,” he said.

He also asked the Minister to confirm whether the Garda Commissioner would take cognisance of the Gaeltacht areas in Galway to ensure sufficient numbers proficient in the Irish language, as required under law.