Garda 'Can Survive Retirement', Says Shatter

Minister For Justice, Alan Shatter, has said that the Garda are well prepared for a peak in retirements.

It is predicted that in the coming months 8% of the force may take early retirement: this comes at a time when recruitment is frozen.

Following figures released yesterday that revealed 1,200 of 14,000 Garda members could be retired by next February, Minster Shatter said: "The scaling down of the Garda force had been planned and publicly known for many months."

According to the Minister this reduction was part of the agreed arrangement at the time of Ireland's bailout deal with the EU and International Monetary Fund.

It was decided that cost- cutting plans would see the force reduced to 13,000 by 2014. Furthermore the schedule for cuts would see the force minimised to 13,500 by the end of this year

The Minister said: "The reductions are to be achieved through retirements."

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has however warned policing will suffer if hundreds of members depart.

According to a confidential confidential internal report, seen by RTÉ News, 10% of stations could be left without sergeants and 8% left without any gardaí if those who can retire do so.

The report went on to reveal that many rural garda stations could lose all their gardaí and sergeants and are in danger of being closed. It says that the specialist units dealing with drugs, immigration, fraud and serious and organised crime are particularly at risk.

The Minister said the report on retirements by headquarters was simply a memo suggesting preparation for the worst-case situation.

He added: "I have the greatest faith in the talent of the Garda force and in the very well-organised manner in which the Garda Commissioner is addressing these issues and in the preparations being put in place to assure people that the garda will be well-up to meeting all challenges."

(LB/BMcC)