Outrage as garda station goes part-time

Sean McMahon

A decision to close Ballyconnell Garda Station each night has been met with outrage by west Cavan residents. In the last four years the station has gone from being a District HQ with a superintendant, open 24 hours daily, to a part time station. Since last Wednesday, August 2 the station closes up from 9pm until 9am the following morning.

Superintendent Jimmy Coen confirmed to The Anglo-Celt this week that while the station won't be open at night time. He was eager to reassure the public that there will be a 24 hour service provided in the West Cavan area by mobile patrols.
“This is based on analysis of incidents, callers to the station, telephone calls from the public and requests for assistance and the management at Cavan District and Cavan Monaghan Division have decided that it is more appropriate that we provide a 24 hour mobile operation response, rather than maintaining the station opening hours,†explained Supt Coen.
Supt Coen insisted the decision is intended “to optimise the use of resourcesâ€.
“Any calls during the night will be diverted to Cavan Garda Station and they will be assigned to the mobile patrols,†explained Supt Coen.
“It is really a response to the levels of policing required to combat crime.â€
The decision to close Ballyconnell Garda Station at night time came as a “bombshell out of the blue†to the local Text Alert Committee.

The new hours came into force last Wednesday. Chairman of the committee Gary McKiernan only discovered the change last Friday when a member of the public informed him that the station was being shut from 9pm to 9am, He is now calling for a public meeting to address the matter.
Locally elected representatives are also being called on to act as the public demand for answers increases.
“We have had a Garda Station here in Ballyconnell since 1923 – since the formation of the State. I want answers and I am going to write to the 'powers that be' and see who made this decision and when was it made. I want to know if this is a temporary decision and can it be reviewed,†he said.
Mr McKiernan insisted the decision was taken with no prior consultation with the Community Alert.
“There was absolutely no consultation whatsoever with us to indicate that this was happening. We are very annoyed about it. From what I can gather, the local Gardaí just got an email on the Wednesday to let them know.'
He added there was no mention of the move either at the recently convened Joint Policing Committee meeting, and locals were now at a loss to understand how or why the decision was taken.
“We would like to have had the courtesy of being told this was happening,†said Mr McKiernan.
Hesaid the news has come as a major shock to elderly people in the town 'alreadying feel vulnerable, scared and afraid'.
'A lot of people have said there was only one Garda in the Station at night – but at least there was a presence in the area – that is a huge thing,' said Mr McKiernan, who believes even the presence of gardai at the station at night and the visibility of patrol cars around the area was a deterrent to crime. “This news will scare the wits out of the elderly people in the townâ€.
Meanwhile The Anglo-Celt has also learned that if all the patrols are are out on duty during the day, and an incident happens in Ballyconnell, that the Garda in the station can close the station for a duration and go to the scene to deal with the matter. It is understood that considerable sum of money was expended on the Station, including equipment prior to the G8 summit, as it was being used as a HQ when the G8 Summit was in Enniskillen.

Political Reaction
Deputy Brendan Smith, who in July wrote to the Minister seeking additional garda resources for the county, told The Anglo-Celt that it is “not acceptable†that the Garda Station will no longer be open during the night.
Deputy Smith explained that he stated 'very strongly the needs of this Division due to the long land border we have with Northern Ireland and indeed the crime levels of recent years.
“Minister Flanagan acknowledged the extra policing demands that arise due to a border and instead of reducing Garda presence we need to be increasing the level of policing as the Gardaí at Assistant Commissioner level outlined only recently the threat from paramilitary groups. Unfortunately we have also ahead of us quite soon the fall out from Brexit and the possibility of border controls which may well give rise to additional criminality.â€
Having renewed his representations to the Justice Minister and to the Chief Superintendent to have the former level of services restored to Ballyconnell Garda Station, Deputy Smith outlined: 'It is a long journey from Cavan Town to the very West of Co. Cavan and better Garda presence is needed.'
Cllr Peter McVitty, who also sits on the Joint Policing Committee agreed, voiced his annoyance that members were not informed about Ballyconnell closure at the last meeting some weeks ago.
“I thought that is what those meetings were for – that decisions coming down the line like this would be discussed prior to being implemented. The Station was closed and we will probably being told about it at the next Joint Policing meeting – that is not the way to do business, as far as I am concernedâ€, the Fine Gael Cllr told the Celt. “I was not told about this decision – I only heard about it on the grapevine – I did not hear anything officially from anybodyâ€.
Cllr McVitty said that there would be great concern particularly with impending Brexit. “I definitely would be concerned that it is now closed at nightâ€, said Cllr McVitty. “ will definitely be raising the matter at the next JPC meeting with the Chief Superintendent, to ascertain what their plans areâ€.