New gardai bound for Roscrea

Two new gardaí are to take up duty at Roscrea Garda Station amid the raising of further concerns over lack of garda resources locally.
Speaking at last week's meeting of Tipperary Joint Policing Committee - which was attended by the Garda Commissioner - Chief Superintendent Derek Smart said the new members would be starting in the coming days. Chief Supt Smart said he has visited Roscrea on a number of occasions since his appointment as head of the Tipperary Garda Division last summer. He regretted that there have been situations where the station has had to close because local gardaí have had to attend to matters elsewhere. But he made the point that it is beneficial to have gardaí on mobile patrol in vehicles as opposed to being in a station all the time.
During the meeting, several speakers referred to Roscrea as a particular part of county that is under-resourced in terms of policing capability. Jackie Cahill TD (FF) referred to Roscrea as “one of a number of serious blackspots where gardaí are not available”, while Deputy Michael Lowry (Ind) spoke of “an appaling deficit in Roscrea, all due to manpower shortage”.
Local councillor Shane Lee (Ind) said Roscrea has 15 gardaí “on paper” but, taking account of absence through the likes of long-term sick leave and restricted duties, only nine of these are available to police the town and its hinterland, which includes the Obama Plaza in Moneygall.
Cllr Lee complained about the town station being closed for long periods of time during the day while gardaí are at court or on other duties.
Local people phone the station and are put through to Nenagh, where they have been told that they must wait an hour or more for assistance to arrive.
He referenced the ongoing feud between rival factions in the town, and Roscrea's close proximity to the M7.
“Roscrea seems an easy target when it comes to crime,” Cllr Lee said, pleading with Commissioner Drew Harris to address the local situation. “I'm not asking you, I'm pleading with you – please, please put Roscrea Garda Station at the top of your agenda,” he said. “We're gasping for help in the town of Roscrea.”
Cllr Lee also called on the Commissioner to “protect your staff in Roscrea”, saying the force is not equipped to deal with the potential threats facing them locally.
JPC Chairman Cllr Noel Coonan (FG) also spoke of the situation in Roscrea and asked the Commissioner to deploy extra gardaí and provide assurances about the future setup. Cllr Coonan furthermore sought assurances that new garda operating model would not impact negatively on Templemore Garda College.
Commissioner Harris replied that there is “no intention of closing any stations”.
He said he would instead seek to “re-populate” stations that are under-staffed. The Commissioner praised the “fantastic facilities” in Templemore and said the garda executive has a long-term commitment to the training college.