Renewed push for more Gardaí and a dedicated superintendent for Clare - Clare Echo

CONCERNS about Garda numbers and visibility on the ground across Clare have prompted calls for more frontline officers and a superintendent dedicated to the county.

At the October meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) tabled a motion calling on the Garda Commissioner to increase frontline Garda numbers, set out a process and timeline for appointing a superintendent dedicated to Clare, and confirm the status of senior management positions in the region.

Cllr Guilfoyle said concerns about Garda numbers were being raised in communities across the county.

He acknowledged a recent visit by the Minister but said there were still insufficient numbers on the ground in Ennis and elsewhere in Clare.

Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG), who seconded the motion, referred to a recent meeting in Liscannor attended by between 80 and 90 people, where concerns about local policing had been raised.

Cllr James Ryan (SF) supported the motion, referring to the policing divisions covering Clare and describing Limerick as “strapped for resources”.

Cllr Pat Burke (FG) also backed the motion, raising concerns about Garda provision in rural areas and saying people in East Clare were unhappy with the situation.

Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) said Clare had approximately 90 fewer Gardaí than a decade ago, according to the figures he referenced at the meeting.

He said one additional Garda had followed a meeting with the Minister, but argued that resources remained inadequate.

Cllr O’Callaghan urged people to report incidents, saying the information could help build a “heat map” showing where Gardaí were most needed and support calls for additional resources.

Cllr David Griffin (FF) said communities felt their “backs are up against the wall” and called for more Gardaí to be visible on the beat to address local issues.

Cllr John Crowe (FG) said one difficulty with policing statistics was that some people did not report incidents when there was no Garda presence in their area.

He said having Gardaí on the beat was important to addressing the problem and ensuring Clare received its “fair share” of resources.

Concluding the discussion, Cllr Guilfoyle said councillors had been advising people to report incidents through 999 or 112 rather than contact Garda stations directly because, he said, calls to stations were not being logged.

He questioned why residents had to report incidents to demonstrate demand for more officers, rather than having sufficient Gardaí on the ground from the outset.

“Prevention is better than cure, and unfortunately the policing policy of this country is that you have to turn into an absolute disaster before you can get police, rather than having police before you become a disaster. That is bad policy,” he said.

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