Vol. 347 No. 2
asked the Minister for Justice if he will confirm that as a result of Government financial cutbacks the Garda station at Ballinamore, County Leitrim, was downgraded from Border status in July/August 1983 and that the number of gardaí operating from the station was reduced from approximately 14 Garda members (including two sergeants) and a patrol car to six Garda members (including only one sergeant) on reduced working hours without a patrol car and with the station closing at 5 p.m. daily.
194.
asked the Minister for Justice if he will take steps to restore the number of gardaí operating from Ballinamore Garda station, County Leitrim, to the level it was in November 1982; if he will extend the hours of operation and restore the patrol car assigned to the station to enable effective police work to be carried out once again in the area.
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together.
There were no financial cutbacks affecting the policing arrangements for Ballinamore.
As I indicated to the House on previous occasions, the precise arrangements for the policing of individual areas are a matter for decision by the Garda authorities who review the strength assigned to the various stations from time to time to take account of changing needs and circumstances. I am informed by the authorities that following a review of the deployment of Garda resources in the Cavan-Monaghan Garda Division, aimed at making the maximum use of available resources in meeting the police needs of the division as a whole, it was decided in September last to reassign one sergeant and five gardaí from Ballinamore station to other stations in the division and to reallocate the patrol car based at Ballinamore to the Detective Unit at the District Headquarters at Ballyconnell, which covers the Ballinamore area. In addition, the 24-hour opening of Ballinamore was discontinued and the opening hours of the station were revised to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays and 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Sundays so as to enable the reduced station party to carry out the maximum amount of outdoor Garda duties, while maintaining a reasonably adequate office service.
Since the investigation into the recent kidnapping case commenced in the Ballinamore area on 16 December 1983 the local station has been kept open round the clock on a temporary basis pending completion of that investigation. The Garda authorities consider, however, that the revised arrangements for the policing of Ballinamore introduced in September 1983 are adequate to meet the normal police needs of the area. Apart from the service provided from the local station, the Ballinamore area also receives attention from mobile units based at Swanlinbar, Ballyconnell and Cavan.
