Leitrim left without new Gardaí as councillor warns of rural policing crisis

Leitrim has missed out on the latest allocation of newly qualified gardaí, prompting renewed concerns about Garda staffing levels, rural patrols and the safety of older people living alone. A total of 207 new Gardaí were sworn in on Friday, October 16, with 27 allocated to the North Western Region.

However, none of the new recruits have been assigned to the Sligo-Leitrim Garda Division, while just one is being stationed in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. The majority of the new recruits allocated to the region are expected to be stationed in Louth, Cavan and Monaghan.

Speaking to this newspaper, Sligo Councillor Michael Clarke said the failure to allocate new officers was particularly concerning given the pressures already facing local gardaí.

"I've been talking to them, sure, it's just unbelievable, like there's so many investigations that they're not able to staff it. They're not able to carry out patrols in rural areas to look after our older people and that's just not acceptable," he said.

Cllr Clarke said the Sligo-Leitrim Division had received no newly qualified officers in the last two recruitment announcements and claimed Garda numbers were continuing to decline.

"Guards leave on a daily basis and guards retire on a daily basis in Sligo Leitrim and nobody coming in to replace them." He also criticised the Government's approach to Garda allocations, arguing that political representation was influencing where new officers were being stationed.

"It's political will, sure, like it's political," he said. "In Sligo Leitrim we're just badly served by three government TDs and really no opposition TD either looking for these Gardaí to be appointed to Sligo Leitrim. It's as simple as that."

He added: "It's a political decision where those guards go to. They'll say it's the chief superintendent and they'll say that it's the head of the Gardaí , but it's all about making representation and getting these Gardaí appointed."

Cllr Clarke also raised concerns about the closure of rural Garda stations and the impact this was having on community confidence. "The people would rather see those stations open or at least manned a couple of days a week to ensure that they see the presence of the Gardaí ," he said. He claimed the lack of a visible Garda presence was leaving older and isolated residents particularly vulnerable.

"There's no reassurance for all the people living alone in rural Ireland. It's just very unfair." Cllr Clarke also referred to the case of Liam Farrell, the elderly farmer who died in January 2020, suggesting that Garda staffing shortages had affected the case.

"I would say the investigation into Mr Leitrim Farrell in Leitrim, like others, is because of the shortage of manpower," he said.

Despite the concerns over local allocations, Garda Headquarters confirmed that the latest recruitment intake has brought the number of sworn members nationwide to 14,825, the highest in the organisation's history.