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Gardaí Intended to Tackle Drugs Problem Allocated To Traffic Duties Instead
17th November 2005, Press Release
Deputy Catherine Murphy has criticised the governments approach to the setting up of the now one-year old Garda Traffic Corps. Although fully supportive of the establishment of the Corps due to what she has termed the “ongoing and consistently tragic” instances of road traffic accidents on Irish Roads, Murphy has criticised Minister Michael McDowell’s inclusion of the Corps within the overall planned increase of 2000 Gardaí in the coming years.
“The government has promised us an additional 2000 Gardaí to be targeted specifically at, and I quote from the programme for government, ‘areas experiencing a significant drugs problem and a large number of public order offences’. This must be fulfilled over and above the staff allocation of the Traffic Corps, recent gangland killings are just a sample illustration of why.”
When the formation of the Traffic Corps was announced by Minister McDowell on 23rd November 2004, he informed the public that there would be “a dedicated Traffic Corps with its own staff and ring-fenced budget.” However Murphy has stated that as the planned increase in Traffic Corps numbers from the current level of 574 to the end target of 1,200 Gardaí will be staffed directly from the 2000 additional Gardaí to be recruited over the coming years, we will only see an additional 800 Gardaí on the beat throughout the country, a country that is seeing a rapid increase in population.
“I strongly welcome the formation of the Traffic Corps and I also welcomed the announcement of 2000 additional Gardaí in the Programme for Government of 2002 but the Government should be honest and start separating the figures out. We are to have a 1,200 strong Garda Traffic Corps and an additional 800 Gardaí for other areas of policing. Lets not kid ourselves here.”
Posted by admin
on November 17, 2005. Filed under Law, Justice, Defence & Policing.
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