Featured image: Drugs cache discovered on North Donegal beach in July 2023. (NW Newspix)
Two Inishowen Sinn Féin councillors have called for the restoration of rural garda community services to halt the rise in drug activity.
Cllrs Terry Crossan and Albert Doherty both raised motions with the council yesterday, calling on the Minister for Justice to providing extra garda resources in Donegal.
As recently as Sunday, a young Ramelton brother and sister appeared in court charged in connection with a large drugs haul worth an estimated €26,650.
Cllr Terry Crossan said there appears to be an increasing lack of resources available to An Garda Siochana as the population rises in the north west.
Cllr Crossan said: “There is a clear increase in drug activity and drug related criminality I have to give praise to gardaí for substantial local seizures all over the country and a lot of them in rural areas.
“With increased seizures, there is more drug-related activity happening, hence we need great resources to be thrown at that.”
Cllr Albert Doherty, in his motion, said now is the time for a response from government in relation to rural policing.
“If this takes the reopening and refurbishment of garda barracks then that should happen,” he said.
Cllr Doherty welcomed the Coastal Watch Programme launched by gardaí to curb the threat of drugs being landed along the coastline. He said: “The significance of coastal watch has been prioritised recently amid issues where the vigilance and cooperation of communities has alerted gardaí to the scourge that is the bringing of drugs into our communities.”
Cllr Doherty asked the council to “demand from the Minister of Justice and the Garda authorities an end to rural garda station closures and the immediate commitment to the restoration of local Garda community services in the county”. He added that the Minister of State for the OPW and the Taoiseach should be furnished with the wish for security improvements in the border areas and significant guarding of the coastline.
Both motions were passed, and arrangements will be made to write to the relevant Ministers.
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