One local pensioner has been robbed three times, farmers are being hit for equipment and fuel, and generally, it’s a crime “free-for-all” in rural areas, Topic was told this week, as residents in rural Westmeath contradicted claims by Gda. Commr. Noirín O’Sullivan that there’s no evidence closing rural Garda stations has led to an increase in crime.
By Claire Corrigan
Cmmr. Noirín O’ Sullivan had said: “There’s nothing to indicate that there is any correlation between station closures and crime rising. In fact from the analysis done in most areas where stations have closed, actually what we have seen is crime either remained on a par or reduced.”
Among 140 Garda stations closed in 2012/2013 were Castletown-Geoghegan, Finea, Rathowen and Ballinahown in Westmeath.
Former Justice Minister Mr Shatter said he has no regret regarding the closures and when asked if there was any link between the closure of Garda stations outside Dublin and the rise in rural crime, he replied, “No. No. No. There are more Guards on the beat and I secured a huge amount of additional funding for the new Garda cars.”
People in rural Westmeath could not disagree more strongly.
Local postmistress in Rathowen, Lorraine Tormey told Topic that the residents of Rathowen have been victims in a long list of incidents following the closure of the Garda station three years ago. “I couldn’t disagree with the Commissioner more, that there’s been no increase. We’ve had various break-ins, with one pensioner having been robbed up to three times. Farmers are having diesel and equipment stolen from their property. We’ve had people rent houses in the area and grow cannabis in them.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Avril Whitney told Topic she also disagrees strongly with this conclusion, saying that Rathowen has been left “wide open” after the closure of it’s Garda station in 2013. “Rathowen is situated on the M4 and it’s very easy to get anywhere in a matter of 30 minutes. The people of our rural community feel very exposed. We have a lot of elderly people living on their own and I think it’s a shame after giving so much to society down through the years, they are now living in fear in their homes at the end of their days.”
Ms. Whitney says that, coupled with the lack of Garda presence in the village, on several occasions, she has been unable to contact Gardaí from Multyfarnham or Ballinacargy, who now cover Rathowen. “They are contactable on a mobile phone but may not be in coverage.”
Ms. Mary Glennon in Castletown-Geoghegan Post Office told Topic their community is very much still feeling the loss of their Garda station two years ago. “You feel very isolated here and you have to be more vigilant and alert all the time, whereas you didn’t have that before.”
Ms. Glennon said that, coming up to Christmas, more Gardaí were needed in order to ensure the community felt less vulnerable. “From talking to people there seems to be more houses being broken into and ransacked. We miss the Gardaí and feel like it’s just another nail in the coffin for rural Ireland.”
Fianna Fáil’s long-time Councillor, Paddy Hill, told Topic he feels that local knowledge is of the utmost importance to a Garda. “My argument against the closing of the rural Garda stations was that they had local knowledge of the area and if a Garda from Mullingar comes out, they won’t have such knowledge; also it takes them longer to get there.”
Cllr. Hill believes the reason that rural crime may not appear to have risen is because many small-scale crimes are just simply not reported any longer.
HER OWN FATHER
Cllr. Whitney told Topic that the rural crime problem was especially highlighted to her by an incident involving her own father when a neighbour rang late one night to say that a car had driven into his yard where he milks the cows. After arriving at the yard, her father saw five men who rammed his jeep to make their getaway. “A Garda came out from Mullingar in an ordinary car and he wouldn’t have stood a chance against these five. These people are ruthless, and the Gardai are under immense pressure.”
Reopening Rathowen Garda Station is not an option because the premises have been already sold on, she explained. “When we had Gda. Damian McCormack in Rathowen, he knew everyone and had his ear to the ground- nothing replaces that. It’s become a free for all,”she said.
Ms. Tormey said we’ve had anti-social behaviour where it took a landlord nearly two years to remove anti-social tenants from his premises.
“The churches were also robbed. As far as we’re concerned it’s very hard to get the Gardaí to come out, because they are stretched so thin and under-resourced.”
The village has also witnessed a growing trend in speeding. “Two months ago, the village’a main artery road between Dublin and Sligo was shut down after a person travelling through the village far too fast ran into a man driving from Longford. You’re taking your life in your hands on the pedestrian crossing.”
Ms. Tormey said that the only thing that had slowed drivers down was the Garda car parked in full view of drivers. “His car would be blatantly in the middle of the village and he would be walking up and down.”
Ms. Tormey said that the Gardaí resources are being spread too thinly and they are often unable to attend incidents in the village. “We were told by the sergeant in Delvin at our community meeting when the station was closing, to look at it not as losing a Garda but as gaining four – which didn’t happen. The Gardaí are overstretched and often not able to make it.”
Cllr. Hill said that just recently, the only shop in Finea was broken into in the middle of the night and the till and whatever else was available was stolen. Houses had also been broken into and rural people feel very vulnerable.
On Garda checkpoints, Mr Hill said that he has not witnessed the high levels of checkpoints spoken about by Garda representatives. “I have argued that I don’t see Garda checkpoints. They will tell you differently but I travel a lot and don’t see them and I don’t think people really believe this.”
Cllr. Hill believes that there must be more checkpoints to prevent gangs targeting small towns. “A lot of the people committing crimes in areas like Finea or Castlepollard are coming from outside the area and once they take off again it’s hard to track them down. “They don’t even have to go back onto the motorway, they can go through Delvin, Athboy and Trim, with little chance of being stopped.”
Mr. Hill added that the recent spate of raids across Lismacaffrey and Streete was due to no Gardaí in the area. “The Gardaí are doing as good a job as they possibly can, but don’t have the resources or numbers.”
