A SUPERINTENDENT covering the Achill area defended the number of gardaí in service there after a court heard the island was left unpoliced.
The issue was raised by Judge Mary Devins after she heard that the only garda patrolling Achill had to leave the island when he arrested a person for drunken driving and had to drive to Westport.
Garda Martin O’Reilly had explained that because he was the only garda on duty in Achill on October 26, 2015, he could not process a suspected drunken driver in Achill Sound Garda Station. He instead had to drive to Westport Garda Station, leaving no garda on duty in the Achill region while he was away.
The scenario prompted Judge Devins to remark that if a similar incident occurred again and ‘all hell broke loose’ on the island, there would be nobody to police it.
However, Supt Seán Colleran defended policing on the island, arguing that the region was ‘well policed’. He said Achill came under the Westport District, which had a 24-hour garda station, and that if anything did happen on Achill when there was no local garda available, gardaí from Westport would investigate.
There is currently one sergeant and two gardaí stationed on Achill, with stations located in Achill Sound and Keel.
