Anger mounts over loss of Garda station

LOCALS in Stepaside are preparing a public protest against the imminent closure of their local Garda station.

A meeting organised by local gardai at Lamb’s Cross Community Centre in Stepaside last Wednesday was attended by approximately 120 local residents and business people.

At the meeting Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O’Sullivan and the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, outlined plans for the redeployment of gardai from Stepaside to Blackrock and Dundrum.

When the announcement was made in late November, residents were told the station would close in the summer.

However, several of those present at last week’s meeting were led to understand that it would close in a matter of weeks, rather than months.

Chief Superintendent O’Sullivan said that several new measures would improve local policing in Stepaside and compensate for the loss of gardai at the station.

He told residents that a new computer system that can identify crime hotspots would dispatch patrols to those areas.

Robert Gahan (82), who lives in Stepaside Village, has been a Peace Commissioner in the area for 30 years. He does not believe that the measures outlined at the meeting will improve the security situation for local residents or businesses.

“I felt that they presented it like there would be police cars wheeling around all the time, waiting for things to happen, and they would be just around the corner whenever they were needed,

? he said.

“It won’t happen. Both Blackrock and Dundrum have their own demands and they have too big an area to cover.

?

Des Kennedy, who owns a grocery shop and runs the local post office in Stepaside Village, is one of the leading members of a committee that has been established to campaign against the closure.

“The locals aren’t happy because they are really taking the base of security out of the village,

? he explained.

“Locals are not convinced that the security situation will improve. There is a lot of anger here.

?

Mr Kennedy said over 3,000 local people had come into his shop to sign a petition opposing the station closure.

He added that a protest against the closure, which will see locals form a human chain around the station, will take place in the coming weeks.

Cllr Lettie McCarthy (Lab), who also attended the meeting, said residents did not believe the closure of the station would improve their security.

“The belief is that in the event of the Garda station closing, intelligence gathering and local knowledge will be impacted on regardless of increased patrols and technology,

? she said.

Deputy Shane Ross (Ind) said:

“There is absolutely no doubt that this is being imposed in a very unscientific way by those at the top on people who just don’t want to see it and whose security is threatened.

?

Local Sinn Fein activist Shaun Tracey added:

“No matter what spin the minister puts on this there is no getting away from the fact that this is a budget cutback that will have a devastating impact on our community.

?

A spokesperson for Minister Shatter said:

“The Minister for Justice attended an information meeting organised by the gardai to address the concerns of local residents about the forthcoming closure of Stepaside Garda Station.

“Speaking at the meeting, Minister Shatter reassured those present that the station’s closure will not negatively impact on policing in the area but will, in fact, result in more gardai being out on patrol and engaged in community policing in the Stepaside area.

?