Concern is growing once again about a lack of Garda resources in rural areas.
The issue has come up for renewed debate after a business in Pettigo in Donegal was broken into in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A number of people smashed the front window of a shop on Main Street in Pettigo in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A small amount of money and cigarettes were taken during the raid and Gardai are appealing for anyone who was in the area between half three and quarter to five am yesterday morning to contact them at Pettigo, Ballyshannon or Donegal town Garda Station.
Community activist in Pettigo Laurence McManus who is a member of Donegal’s Joint Policing Committee says this latest break-in highlights the need for a full-time patrol car for the area.
Speaking on North West Today, Mr. McManus says currently there is a full-time guard in Pettigo but that Garda has to share a patrol car with Ballintra which is over 22 kilometres away.
He says it makes no sense and he’s calling for more action at a political level on the issue.
He says car registration recognition cameras should be enforced:
Noelle from Sligo says the Gardai are totally under-resourced to deal with crime in rural areas.
She says she has seen first hand the benefit and impact of community policing guards in the Sligo town area and now there are fears there could be cuts in that area too.
She told North West today with the fears about terrorism it is hard to have confidence when the powers that be will not even adequately resource the Gards to deal with local crime:
