PRESS RELEASE

10/01/2006

Kelleher urges McDowell to visit ‘inadequate’ Glanmire Garda Station on Cork visit

Cork North-Central Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher has requested that Justice Minister Michael McDowell TD sees at first hand the dismally inadequate Garda Station in Glanmire ahead of his planned visit to the city on January 17.

Deputy Kelleher, who is a resident of the Glanmire area, has already written to Minister McDowell highlighting anti-social behaviour which has escalated because Garda manpower there is insufficient.

‘As a public representative, the feedback I get from the community is unprecedented. For a jurisdiction that is the most populated sub-district in North Cork, the Garda manpower provided is totally inadequate.

‘There are occasions when only one garda is on duty from a staff pool of 15. It is not the fault of the gardaí - they can only work with the resources they have. Clearly, we need more gardaí on the streets in Glanmire and we need a new purpose-built Garda Station to accommodate them,’ said Deputy Kelleher.

He said Minister McDowell has told him the Office of Public Works (OPW) has been asked to secure a site in Glanmire to build the new station. 

‘I have written to Minister Tom Parlon TD, who has responsibility for the OPW, urging him to secure a site quickly on the Parish land which is the most suitable site for the station. It is vital we sustain that pressure until the new station is built.

‘The Garda manpower in the Glanmire area must be reviewed. Current staff levels are insufficient to cover areas that are 20 minutes from Glanmire such as Carrignavar, Glenville and Whitechurch.

‘Apart from these townlands, local gardaí have responsibility for Watergrasshill, Knockraha, Upper Glanmire, Glanmire, Glounthaune and Little Island. Anyone arrested has to be brought to Cobh - 20 minutes away. In many cases, that deprives the whole district of any Garda coverage for a considerable time.

‘I want Minister McDowell to come to Glanmire later this month to see for himself the overcrowded and deficient station in which we are housing our gardaí. We need a new building and we need more gardaí.

‘Anti-social behaviour will thrive where there is a shortage of manpower. I have already raised it several times in the Dáil. I will keep working to ensure we see movement on these issues in the short term - but further delays are just unacceptable,’ said Deputy Kelleher.

ENDS

Billy Kelleher TD can be contacted on (087) 2580521