*Photograph: John O’Neill
CLARE’S GARDAÍ are finding it increasingly more difficult to do their job with less resources.
Speaking this week, Superintendent John Ryan highlighted that Gardaí across the county are struggling to do their job with no sign of increasing resources.
Since the amalgamation of the Clare and Tipperary Garda Divisions, Ennis based Supt Ryan is the only one of the six superintendents in the two counties located in Co Clare.
“We have reduced numbers so we’re expecting a lot more from a lot less people,” he said of the pressures on Gardaí in Clare. “I’d love to see more Guards on the street and out and about more but because of the processes we have and the numbers we have I can’t do anything about it. I walked past the Courthouse today, we have quite a number of Guards there because of the amount of cases we have,” he added.
Supt Ryan added, “The demands on us are increasing, to run Ennis takes a minimum of six Guards, we keep two cars going all the time but that is just dealing with the calls, the new model is bringing us to areas like Tulla which we wouldn’t have had to respond to previously”.
Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) in response to the comments of Supt Ryan at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, stated, “we have nothing but the highest of regard for An Garda Síochána, it is quite obvious to me that ye are under-resourced, I’m also conscious that there are the issues with rostering, the Minister for Justice has to come back to the Goverment and look at this”.
Kildysart native O’Callaghan added, “I am in favour of engagement, we are trying to protect a town of 40,000, the issues have changed so dramatically of what was there ten years ago, children vaping now, we didn’t know about it ten years ago”.
Security and Garda resources will be “a major for the General Election next year,” Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) predicted. She asked Supt Ryan what numbers he would like to see based out of Ennis Garda Station.
In response Supt Ryan commented, “I am a strong sports advocate, I’ve played on teams and been involved with teams, I see the team I have around me in Ennis as the same as a team in the dressing room, if I don’t have young people coming in then the energy and the team fades, we need to get the young people back and interested in joining An Garda Síochána”.
He continued, “How many it takes will be difficult, I’ve three members in community engaging, it is not sufficient for a town with 40,000 plus people, we need a minimum of six, we work shift work too”.
