Garda numbers across Donegal are down by more than 100 officers or 21% of the local force in the past seven years, figures have revealed.
At present there are 387 Gardai working in the county compared with 488 in January, 2009.
The figures have led Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher to call on the Minister for Justice to increase the number of Gardai locally again.
He described the figures as “shocking” and demanded an increase in the number of Gardai in the county.
“It is shocking in that these numbers reveal such a stark decline in Garda numbers within the different Donegal Districts and that the closure of the Glenties District simply reduced the overall number of Gardaí serving within the county,” he said.
All the Donegal Districts apart from one have experienced decline in Garda numbers.
Letterkenny District declined from 191 to 156, Buncrana District declined from 91 to 70, Ballyshannon District declined from 99 to 95, with the closure of the Glenties District leading to a nett loss of 58 Gardaí to the Donegal Division.
Only Milford District recorded an increase in numbers – from 56 Gardaí to 66 Gardaí within the 7 year period albeit the area has now doubled with the closure of Glenties District during that period.
Deputy Gallagher said “Within the same period as the decline in Garda numbers, we as a county have experienced a rise in rural crime, anti-social issues and with many of our communities actively lobbying for increased Garda presence in order to counter act crime and the growing menace of drugs within our neighbourhoods.”
He voiced his frustration at the Government for allowing the Garda numbers to fall so significantly within Donegal saying it certainly appears no one was looking after rural counties and rural communities within the previous Government.
“The decline experience in numbers within Donegal must now be addressed – and needless to say urban areas traditionally get the majority share of new recruits, in 2014/2015 the previous Government committed 97% of the new recruits to urban centres at the expense of rural areas.
“The present situation is now at crisis level within the Donegal Division with 101 less Gardaí now serving the people and communities of Donegal, I am challenging the Government to put in place a programme which will restore Donegal Garda numbers over the next 3 year period, to reinstate the Glenties District and to properly equip and resource the Gardaí within the county.”
He added that the rural decline which flourished under the last Government must now stop – rural areas must come first in order to reverse the decline experienced over the past number of years.
“Rural communities have real and genuine fears regarding security and policing, the closure of Garda Barracks and less Gardaí are only adding to those fears, the new recruitment programme for Gardaí must address the decline in Garda numbers within Donegal and it is only the Government that can as a policy reverse the decline,” concluded Pat the Cope.
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