Tipperary Gardaí abandoned in latest allocation announcement – McGrath

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has launched a scathing attack on Tipperary’s outgoing government Minister’s for their utter failure to honour long standing commitments to reinforce the number of Gardaí in the Tipperary Division. Deputy McGrath was speaking after it was confirmed to him that no new recruits have been allocated to Co. Tipperary despite Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Carlow all receiving an additional five recruits each in the latest round of postings announced today:

gardai-in-uniform

“The proof is now firmly before our eyes; all the hype and all the determined commitments given by this government’s outgoing Tipperary Ministers with respect to Garda numbers have come to nothing.

Yet again major towns in the county like Clonmel, Thurles and Nenagh, not to mention vulnerable communities like Littleton, have all been ignored despite chronic under-capacity in terms of garda numbers.

This shameful and totally incomprehensible decision betrays the fact that nothing of the anguish that has been experienced by communities in Tipperary has been listened too or acted upon.

At a personal level I am aware that this decision to continue side-lining the county has active and existing gardaí at their wits end in terms of trying to deliver an effective policing service to communities.

It is an absolute indictment that since Garda training recommenced, only five additional gardaí have been allocated to Tipperary while our nearest neighbouring counties have seen triple and quadruple that number being allocated.

Both Minister Kelly and Minister Hayes as well as Deputy Noel Coonan have had their complete ineffectualness with respect to justice and policing thoroughly exposed,” concluded Deputy McGrath.