A south Donegal-based county councillor has urged the government to examine proposals on how to tackle rural crime in order to help protect rural communities.
Cllr Jordan was speaking after an increase in incidents of rural crime in many areas right across the county in recent months.
The Sinn Fein councillor said the closure of garda station was making in rural towns feel unsafe.
He said: “As many of us know all too well, the issue of rural crime has become a real scourge across huge swathes of Donegal, as demonstrated by the recent spate of house robberies and business break-ins.
“People deserve to feel safe in their communities, unfortunately – in recent times – due to a reduction in Garda visibility and increases in certain types of crime, this is not the case.
“People in many rural areas of Donegal feel isolated and vulnerable and we’ve witnessed very significant incidences of property crime combined with significant increases in burglary and the theft of farm machinery and equipment.
“We’ve also seen the closure of many small Garda Stations in rural towns and villages, while the numbers of community Gardaí under Fine Gael Governments has fallen by 35% since 2010 across the state as a whole,” he added.
“The Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner need to step up to the mark, to provide the resources and get the Gardaí out on the beat to give people peace of mind.”
