Councillors urge Justice Minister and Garda chief to increase number of gardaí in Carrick-on-Suir

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s councillors are sending a letter to the Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner appealing for extra gardaí for Carrick-on-Suir due to a dramatic reduction in the number of officers stationed in the town in the past few years.

The district’s councillors unanimously passed Cathaoirleach Cllr Kieran Bourke’s motion calling for the letter to be sent to Minister Helen McEntee and Commissioner Drew Harris at their November meeting in Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall last Thursday.

Cllr Bourke told the meeting that the number of gardaí stationed at Carrick-on-Suir Garda Station a few years ago was 14 officers with two sergeants and a detective. This force was now reduced to four gardaí and two sergeants and one of the four officers was currently on sick leave.

The Fianna Fáil councillor pointed out that if one of the two sergeants retired or was promoted or transferred they wouldn’t be replaced as the number of gardaí based at the station has fallen so low.

“You don’t have to be Albert Einstein to see that with three or maybe four gardaí to man it 24-hours a day that there are times when there are no gardaí stationed in Carrick-on-Suir. We are depending on Clonmel officers to come to Carrick-on-Suir.”

Cllr Bourke made campaigning for an increase in gardaí stationed in his hometown his top priority when he took over the chains of office of Carrick Municipal District Cathaoirleach in June.

He said at last Thursday’s meeting that the district’s councillors have a responsibility to make sure there is a proper number of gardaí in Carrick and pointed out that officers stationed in the town also cover a large rural hinterland.

Cllr Bourke also noted that insufficient garda numbers was a problem right across the country, not just Carrick-on-Suir.
“People in power seem to be putting their heads in the sand,” he declared as he urged councillors on Tipperary Joint Policing Committee to speak up about the low garda numbers.

Fellow Carrick-on-Suir councillor David Dunne of Sinn Féin proposed the motion be passed and thanked Cllr Bourke for tabling it at the meeting.

He recounted that he directed traffic in the town for about 45 minutes one day because there were no gardaí around.

This situation where members of the public have stepped in to direct traffic had happened on more than one occasion in the town, he claimed. They were putting themselves in danger doing this, but if they didn’t direct traffic the whole town would come to a standstill.

Cloneen based Fine Gael Cllr Mark Fitzgerald, who seconded the motion, said the reduction in garda manpower was having a massive impact.

He noted that gardaí stationed in Carrick also covered rural communities like Faugheen and Ahenny. If gardaí were called out to an incident to one of these communities or even out the Clonmel Road, the strength of the force in the town was depleted straight away.

Cllr Bourke urged District Administrator Marie O’Gorman to word the letter to the Justice Minister and Garda Commissioner as forcefully as possible.