asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí stationed in and serving the towns of Mountmellick, Portarlington, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney, County Laois; the hours of business of such stations; and if he has satisfied himself that the service provided is adequate to meet the needs of the community.
Written Answers. - Garda Service.
67.
The information sought in relation to Garda strength and the opening hours of the four stations referred to in the question is given in the following table.
The detailed deployment of Garda manpower and other resources to individual stations is primarily a matter for the Garda authorities, who inform me that they consider the present policing arrangements for the areas in question adequate to meet local policing needs.
The opening hours of stations which are open only part-time are designed to strike a balance between the provision of an office service and an outdoor patrol service. When any of these stations is closed, callers can contact the appropriate District Headquarters station by means of the external radio-telephone or "Green man", which can be used free of charge at any time of the day or night. Patrol cars are assigned to Mountmellick and Portarlington stations and two patrol cars are assigned to Abbeyleix station, which is responsible for providing mobile patrols in the Rathdowney area also. In addition, the areas served from all the stations referred to receive regular attention from patrols by the traffic corps and the Detective Unit based at the Divisional Headquarters at Portlaoise.
Table
|
Station |
Garda strength |
Opening hours |
|
Mountmellick |
6 |
Weekdays 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Sundays 12.00 noon to 1.00 p.m. |
|
Portarlington |
9 |
Weekdays 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Sundays 12.00 noon to 2.00 p.m. |
|
Abbeyleix |
23 |
Open 24 hours |
|
Rathdowney |
4 |
Weekdays 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. |
|
Sundays 12.00 noon to 2.00 p.m. |