Donegal Deputy Pearse Doherty has called a new report which found that six Garda Stations in Donegal are without an assigned Garda as “totally unacceptable”.
The report comes after Deputy Doherty invited the Minister for Justice to come to Donegal to see how under-resourced the Gardaí in Donegal are.
Speaking today, Deputy Doherty said “The findings in this report make stark reading for government. It’s clear that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have turned their backs on rank and file Gardaí.
“They particularly don’t seem to care about policing rural areas such as Donegal.
“There are no less than six stations in Donegal without an assigned Garda.
“That’s totally unacceptable and is in line with what I’ve been hearing from constituents, who have complained about not being able to access Garda when needed, and rank and file Gardaí, who have complained about understaffing and under-resourcing.
“That Ballyshannon Garda Station, one of the county’s major stations, has seen a reduction of 23 Gardaí since the start of 2024 is another worrying statistic.
“The report also shows that Stations with the biggest increases in Garda staffing levels were concentrated in Dublin. I understand there are significant challenges to policing in Dublin, but rural areas like Donegal can’t just be abandoned.
“That is what seems to be happening according to these figures.
“We have unique challenges to policing in Donegal as well and this cannot be forgotten about or dismissed.
“We need an urgent reassessment as to what Garda resources are provided to Donegal.
“These figures also highlight how important it is that Donegal is afforded 3 Garda Community Policing areas, not the two that is currently understood to be coming down the line.”
