Minister Denies Garda Cuts

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has said there was "no reality or possibility" that An Garda Síochána would be forced to cut staff numbers by 1,00 to 1,500 due to reduced budgets in 2013.

He also said that the reduced cuts would mean officers will not be paid this year were "simply wrong".

Speaking to RTÉ Radio, Mr Shatter denied Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and his senior colleagues had been “ambushed” by the reduction in their 2013 budget.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Pat Kenny, Minister Shatter said: "Firstly, there is no reality or possibility of losing a thousand gardaí this year or 1,500 gardaí this year. There is no question of gardaí not being properly paid.

"In the context of effecting efficiencies there is a broad range of initiates being taken. For example, there is an objective to try and ensure that unnecessary costs aren't incurred in the area of overtime.

"There is more efficiencies being put in place with regard to the dealing with court work."

It is believed 400 gardaí will retire this year, bringing numbers down to around 13,000, a target that should have been met by the end of 2012 under the terms of the State's bailout.

Deputy Collins has expressed alarm at reports that numbers in the force will be reduced by 1,400 this year – the lowest level in more than a decade.

He said: "The political decisions made by Alan Shatter will bring the garda force a decade back in time and put communities across the country directly at risk.

"The Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan last year stressed the need to maintain the force at a minimum of 13,000 in the interest of public safety. But Minister Shatter still went ahead and slashed the garda payroll by €35 million, forcing garda management to look at reducing numbers in the force by over 1,400 this year.

"This is alarming. Such drastic reductions in such a short period of time will throw the force into disarray and reduce community policing to dangerously low levels. Equally alarming is Minister Shatter’s dismissive approach to all of this. People are genuinely baffled at what happened to the tough-talking law and order opposition spokesperson. He has turned into a highly destructive Minister, pursing dangerous policies that fly in the face of the public interest."

(CD/GK)