Part time garda station - 3 or 4 hours per week - is this the norm?

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Ceist Beag

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I live in a town with approx 1400 people (from the last census). We don't have a full time garda and only last week a revised timetable was put up on the window for the hours that the station will be manned. It consists of 3 (sometimes 4) 1 hour slots during the week. So a total of 3 or 4 hours in the week, all of which are out of hours (usually the evening). Is this normal in other similar size towns? I must admit I was quite surprised at just how stretched gardai resources are if this is a reflection of rural Ireland. The nearest full time station to us is about 7 miles away.
 
It's the norm and it was going on even during Celtic Tiger times
It's not a recent thing or related to the recession

Though they've stopped the intakes in Templemore so it'll happen even more

You ring the town station now and your squad car could be 20 miles away near the far side of the county
And when they come to you they won't have a clue of your area or how to find you

The local sergeant who lived in the area could solve problems before they even happened. A lot of rural stations have a house attached to them so the garda lived there and was available anytime
 
Ceist Beag said:
The nearest full time station to us is about 7 miles away.
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Thats not bad. I live in an extremely densely populated area in Dublin (Firhouse), right next to another extremely densely populated area (Tallaght) and the local station that my area is assigned to (Rathfarnham) is around 4-5 miles away.
 
"part time Garda station"... What is it the rest of the time?
Is it like an occasional table?
 
truthseeker said:
Thats not bad. I live in an extremely densely populated area in Dublin (Firhouse), right next to another extremely densely populated area (Tallaght) and the local station that my area is assigned to (Rathfarnham) is around 4-5 miles away.
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I live in Marley and it takes them 2 hours to make it up here from Rathfarnham, about a mile and a half away. You must have to call them the day before anything happens to book a call out.
 
Burglar in your house? Well you can call them and they may never come or maybe tomorrow at the earliest

Is your name Alan Shatter?
Well his house was broken into in March and there were squad cars on the scence in minutes, the forensics/technical guys out, suspects picked up off the streets and the detectives called in to question them

Pays to be important!
 
Purple said:
"part time Garda station"... What is it the rest of the time?
Is it like an occasional table?
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Don't give up the day job Purple! :D Isn't it interesting though that in the "expert" view of progress local services are becoming less and less accessible to the communities that they are supposed to serve! Hospitals being centralised, post offices amalgamated, garda stations likewise, schools, etc.
 
Purple said:
I live in Marley and it takes them 2 hours to make it up here from Rathfarnham, about a mile and a half away. You must have to call them the day before anything happens to book a call out.
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Oh no, Ive to either give a weeks notice or make my own way to the station.

Sometimes I steal a car to get there quicker, I know itll be fine, because Ill have gone in, made my complaint, left, dumped the car and burned it out before they bother coming to take any details about its theft.
 
In my town of origin with a population of about 7,000 there is no Garda presence any evening. Garda station opens from 9am - 17.30pm and any squad car has to come 20 miles. There must be ten officers based there, half of whom off duty during any day. Boyracers do what they like in the evening.
 
micmclo said:
Burglar in your house? Well you can call them and they may never come or maybe tomorrow at the earliest

Is your name Alan Shatter?
Well his house was broken into in March and there were squad cars on the scence in minutes, the forensics/technical guys out, suspects picked up off the streets and the detectives called in to question them

Pays to be important!
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Do you not think it makes sense that the Minister of Justice who might just be a target for terrorists has you know a higher level of protection attached to his house?

Perhaps I should have stopped after the first 4 words.
 
I am glad the Minister for Justice got a great response

I only hope everyone could get the same
 
They are large stations in Cork that close for lunch.

Office closed from 1 to 2.
 
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