Mayo councillor has 'grave concerns’ over Achill garda numbers

AN Achill councillor has called on the Minister for Justice to ensure that rural policing is not neglected after the island community was left with only two permanent guards.

The number of permanent gardaí stationed in the parish of Achill has reduced from four to two in recent weeks with no indication from authorities that the numbers will be restored. Local councillor Paul McNamara has called for extra gardaí to be stationed in Achill after outlining that the parish was left without any gardaí on duty on a number of occasions during the summer.

“I have grave concerns regarding the current garda situation in the parish of Achill where we have been left with one sergeant and one garda to cover the whole parish. Our population goes from 2,500 to 10,000 until the end of August and this year that figure was even higher given the high number of visitors who came to Achill this summer.

“There were days and nights where there was actually no garda cover in Achill during the summer. There were incidents where gardaí were called and people had to wait for them to arrive from Westport or Castlebar and that is not acceptable,” he said.

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The Fianna Fáil councillor added that even if the two Achill gardaí are on duty, they could be dispatched to cover other parts of the garda district leaving the community without cover.

“The problem also is that when the guard reports for work in Achill the next thing they will get a call to go to Westport or Castlebar or other areas in the Mayo south district leaving Achill with no cover. This is happening all the time in Achill,” he said.

Two stations

THERE are two garda stations in the parish – one in Achill Sound and the other in Keel – with living quarters attached to the station in Achill Sound. The retirement of one garda earlier this year meant that no garda stationed in Achill currently lives in the parish and Cllr McNamara said this had led to a degree of vulnerability among certain sectors of the community.

“We always had a garda presence in the parish and always had a garda who was living and working in the parish. Now for the first time since the beginning of the state we have no garda working and living in the parish of Achill.

Cllr Paul McNamara

“The station at Achill Sound has living quarters for a guard and a family and we always had a number of guards who lived and worked in the parish. My fear is we will end up some day with no guards in Achill. We have gone from five or six guards down to two and if that trend continues we will end up with no guards in Achill and be policed from Westport or Castlebar.

“I believe that there are guards who would like to move so why are they not given that opportunity to work and live in Achill. There is a house available for them to live and work in the parish. People feel vulnerable in the sense the presence of local gardaí are no longer there because the guards who are here can be deployed throughout the Mayo district to work. People realise there is no garda presence in the parish and they are concerned,” he said.

Requesting meeting

CLLR McNamara said that the situation is so grave that he has requested a meeting with the Minister of Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, TD to highlight the lack of policing in rural areas.

“I have notified the powers that be regarding the garda presence in Achill. I have also requested a meeting with the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan in Dublin where I will express my concern in the way rural policing is being rolled out at the moment.

“It is of no benefit to the rural areas having gardaí report to a rural barracks and then being deployed to another area.

“The way things are going, my fear is no guards will be stationed in Achill and we will be covered by guards in Westport or Castlebar. That cannot be allowed to happen,” he concluded.