There is no need to re-open rural garda stations to tackle crime, according to Seamus Boland of Irish Rural Link.

Instead he wants to see a more structured tie-in between gardaí and local volunteers to develop a regional policing advisory system with the power to move garda resources around.

“What we propose is that groups like the neighbourhood watch and community alert – who already report on a regional basis to the garda superintendent – be elevated to a more formal position where they would have the power to say to the gardaí that more focus is needed on a particular area,” explains Boland.

“If local groups like community alert, Muintir na Tire, Irish Rural Link or the IFA were included in a regional advisory setup, it would elevate local knowledge to where it must be and help deal with crime hotspots.”

“At the moment there is a gap there between local groups, who know what is happening on the ground, and those who allocate resources,” says Boland.

His proposal describes a troubleshooting approach from the gardaí that would be based on local intelligence, in which more manpower and policing tools could be assigned at short notice to an area where it is needed most.

Austerity

“During the austerity years all we heard about was that the gardaí had fewer people on the ground and that they didn’t even have squad cars to go out in. What does that sounds like to criminals except a huge opportunity?

“If we had a system where local people had a way to make a submission about their area and a garda presence could be quickly moved there, it would frighten the bejaysus out of those criminals.”

Such a system would both require and be of benefit to the farming community, he maintained.

“At certain times of the year farmers have to leave machines in fields overnight, or their diesel might be targeted. There’s an awful lot of money tied up in those things.

“That could be highlighted and everyone pay specific attention.”

Boland wants modern technology to be fully maximised in the effort to tackle rural isolation and crime.

“We need to make better use of phones, apps and all the available technology to build a better policing system than what we have,” he points out.

“Get everyone involved – farmers, business people, young people – having eyes and ears everywhere is a far more efficient system than having two or three guards at a station.”

“It’s a spurious idea that we must have a garda station at every crossroads,” he insists. “In the last few years, a very modern communication system has emerged. The future of policing does not lie in bricks and mortar but in rapid patrols based on intelligence from well-trained local groups using modern technology.”

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