Dun Laoghaire Fianna Fáil Councillor Cormac Devlin has called on the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to immediately clarify the status of Dalkey, Cabinteely and Kill O’ the Grange Garda Stations.
It was announced at the weekend that Dalkey Garda Station has now been shut down completely and that Cabinteely and Kill O' the Grange stations will be downgraded to a 10 hour day. Howeve all three stations are still operating as normal, causing great confusion in the community.
Local Fianna Fáil Councillor Cormac Devlin commented, “People deserve to know if Dalkey Garda Station is still open or not. The public has received contradictory information and Minister Shatter must immediately clarify the issue. His mishandling of the situation has caused widespread confusion and concern.
“This whole policy has been botched from day one. The public were originally told the closures were a cost saving exercise. Then it emerged Minister Shatter was unable to identify the actual costs of running the individual stations. Now there is a significant amount of contradictory information about the issue in the public domain.
“I have repeatedly called on Minister Shatter to reconsider the closures pending a full review based on community consultation, proper financial data and a cost-benefit analysis, with a heavy focus on community-based policing.
“The lack of consultation over the garda closures is striking, as is the misinformation in the public domain. It’s just another symptom of Minister Shatter’s arrogance and this Government’s failure to communicate properly with the public. When it comes to essential services the public deserve clear information. I am asking Minister Shatter to clear this up without delay,” concluded Councillor Devlin.
