Members of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee are to contact the Garda Commissioner amid concerns about the number of vehicles on the streets of the county.
New figures have revealed the Clare Garda Division has the smallest vehicle fleet in the State.
50 vehicles are currently operating in the Clare Garda Division, which is the lowest figure of any of the 29 divisions operating in the state.
Figures released to the Oireachtas by Justice Minister Helen McEntee show Sligo-Leitrim the next lowest with 56 vehicles on the road, and Roscommon-Longford having 59 available for use.
Only Dublin’s Metropolitan Region traffic division has fewer Garda cars than Clare.
Clare Gardai have 11 vans at their disposal, along with 2 motorcycles and one 4×4 – some divisions have as many as 7.
Minister McEntee insists the allocation of resources is a matter for Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Chair of Clare’s Joint Policing Committee, Sixmilebridge-based Fine Gael Councillor John Crowe, says he intends to write to both the Minister and the Commissioner to look into the matter.
Concerns have also been raised about what the low fleet and personnel numbers could mean for the proposed merger with Tipperary’s Garda Division.
That work remains ongoing, with the move having been pushed back as a result of the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Fellow Clare JPC member and Kilmurry McMahon-based Fianna Fail Councillor Alan O’ Callaghan says more resources will be needed once the merger takes place.
Clare’s Joint Policing Committee is due to meet again at the end of September, when the issue of the fleet and further resources is sure to be high on the agenda.
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