The news that Clogheen and Ballyporeen Garda stations won’t close, but will have community policing hours, has been rejected by a local community activist and businessman.
Clogheen based PJ English says that having a local guard in the village was of huge benefit.
He said that the officer would be on scene immediately if something happened, he knew everyone and people felt at ease calling on him if needed.
The Superintendent in Cahir said the Gardaí in Clogheen and Ballyporeen would be redeployed to Cahir and Cashel, but PJ says they are needed locally.
He told Tipp FM that this could be the final straw for small rural communities.
“We have lost the bank, we have lost the post office, we lost the co-op, we lost the veterinary, we have lost pubs – all due to bringing everything into towns.
“That’s what’s destroying rural Ireland and this is another nail in the coffin for rural Ireland if we don’t have a police force.”
He said that a guard being part of the community, as is currently the case, is what’s needed, and that both Cahir and Cashel Garda stations are too far away if an emergency needs to be attended to.
