Specialist policing units set up to tackle drugs in Limerick to be ‘gutted’
SPECIALIST garda units set up to tackle the scourge of drugs in County Limerick and to help ensure the city doesn’t return to “near anarchy” will be “gutted” as a result of the proposed new garda roster, the Limerick Live has learned.
It is understood the County Limerick Drugs Unit, based in Adare, and Community Policing Units in Henry Street and Mayorstone in the city will be hit heavily.
Regional Support Units - highly-trained armed gardai called in to deal with serious incidents - will also be affected by the roster change.
Limerick Live understands their shifts will conclude at 4am and not resume until 8am with questions raised over the safety of the public and unarmed gardai if a serious incident occurs during those four hours, seven days a week.
The proposed changes are to fill the fifth unit. A four-unit roster involving most gardai working 12-hour shifts - four days on, four days off - was introduced during Covid.
The previous Westmanstown Roster is to be brought back in November with five garda units working 10-hour shifts - six days on / four days off. Returning to the old roster requires the redeployment of staff for the fifth unit.
Limerick Live contacted the Garda Press Office regarding concerns over the County Drugs Unit and Community Policing in Limerick.
A garda spokesperson said every division is presently engaged in preparations to implement the Westmanstown Roster which also “provides the opportunity to restructure local unit composition and thereby enhance the service to the public”.
“In the interests of clarity no garda members formally appointed to specialist units have been impacted as part of the reintroduction of the Westmanstown Roster in the Limerick Division.
“Further, neither the Community Policing Unit or the Divisional Drugs Unit have been disbanded, there remains an ongoing commitment to both community policing and drugs enforcement within the Limerick division,” said the garda spokesperson.
Limerick Live’s query pertained to the County Drugs Unit and not the Divisional Drugs Unit.
They continued: “Where necessary, some members have been temporarily reassigned from the Community Policing Unit and the Divisional Drugs Unit so as to ensure the delivery of a consistent service. These changes will be addressed through the ongoing recruitment process and assignment of new personnel to Limerick Division.”
However, garda sources on the ground say that is “semantics” and ask how a unit can operate with a greatly reduced number of officers or none in some cases.
Community Policing was key in investigating the gangland feud in Limerick, helped to bring the city back from the brink of “near anarchy” and making it the safer place it is today.
“It is where communities can get to know us, build relationships and we can try and nip things in the bud before they escalate,” said a garda source.
The County Limerick Drugs Unit, made up of one sergeant and five plain clothes gardai, also looks set to be jettisoned.
Sources have told Limerick Live of their fears that the unit, which targets the sale and supply of drugs, could be “gutted” in early November. They said the unit has a number of notable seizures and arrests to its name and intelligence gathered will bear more and more fruition over time.
“It feels like all the good work is being undone. To be fair it’s not the decision of Limerick garda management. I’m sure there are plenty of specialist units being cut to try and get numbers together for the proposed fifth unit,” said another garda source.
Already suffering from low morale, the planned reintroduction of the old roster has added to the disillusionment.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) held a ballot which saw almost 99% of those who voted express no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Deputy Cathal Crowe said politicians are not supposed to get involved in garda operational matters but he “cannot stay silent when Commissioner Harris’ new roster will see community policing being decimated, rural stations left unmanned and specialist units pared back so that rosters can be backfilled”.