COUNCILLOR GILLILAND CALLS ON JUSTICE MINISTER AND GARDA COMMISSIONER TO PROVIDE GARDAÍ WITH ADEQUATE RESOURCES

By Veronica Corr

The shortage of patrol cars in Ballybay/Clones Municipal District (MD) was raised at Monday’s meeting by Councillor Sean Gilliland, who is a former Garda himself. Speaking to The Northern Standard after the meeting, the Fine Gael representative said that the lack of resources was not unique to the Cavan/Monaghan Division, which would soon be merged with Louth — an amalgamation which he feared would stretch the Gardaí’s already limited resources even further. At the meeting it was decided that the MD would write to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to call for more Garda vehicles to service the District and wider Garda Division.

Divisional Chief Superintendent Alan McGovern would be copied in on a letter for informational purposes. Councillor Gilliland, a fromer Dublin-based Garda who left the service in 2003, said that things were vastly different for those who were involved in policing rural Ireland, there were stations without cars for one reason or another, and in cases where there were cars, some members were not qualified to drive them.

When it was put to him that Gardaí should have all their professional, specialist driving courses under their belt by the time they left Templemore, Councillor Gilliland agreed, but conceded that trainees and recruits were rushed through to graduation and when they went out to stations, they couldn’t be spared to go back and do further driver training in Templemore, it also cost money to send them back to training college, the former Garda…