Underfunding of Kildare garda station putting residents 'at risk'

An Aontú local area representative for the Clane local electoral area in Kildare has called on the government to resource Derrinturn Garda Station.

John Bryan, a resident of Derrinturn, was responding to the recent statement by Cllr Brendan Wyse (FG) calling for the village to be included in a pilot CCTV scheme.

While acknowledging the importance of safety and security, Mr Bryan emphasized that the real issue facing Derrinturn and similar rural communities goes beyond the installation of surveillance cameras.

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Mr Bryan stated: “While I understand Cllr Wyse’s concern for safety, simply calling for a pilot CCTV camera system won’t address the root cause of crime in Derrinturn. Residents of the village who have attempted to report an incident have often found the station with the lights off and the door locked.

“Derrinturn Garda Station is often closed, and it is severely under-resourced. It hasn’t been properly equipped or staffed due to ongoing budget cuts from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Aontú parliamentary questions have exposed that there are less Gardaí serving today per capita than in 2005.

“Our parliamentary questions have also revealed that one in 10 Garda stations are unstaffed - you would think that a Garda is an essential component to a Garda station. This lack of resources is the real issue that leaves rural villages like Derrinturn exposed to crime.”

Mr Bryan said there is a need to ensure that Derrinturn Garda Station is properly staffed and equipped.

He said a functioning garda station is “more impactful than surveillance cameras”, which while may act as a deterrent, will not provide the day-to-day protection and emergency response that residents require.

According to Mr Bryan, the government's “chronic” underfunding of garda stations in rural areas is putting communities like Derrinturn at risk.

Calling on the government to take “immediate action” to address these concerns, Mr Bryan added: "I am calling on the Government to urgently facilitate the proper staffing and resourcing of Derrinturn Garda Station. We need a Garda presence that can respond quickly to the needs of the community, not just cameras that record incidents after they occur."