Concerns still as cautious welcome to Donegal staying as stand-alone Garda Division

News that Donegal will remain as a stand-alone Garda Division has been given a guarded welcome - but there remain serious concerns over the strength of the force in the county.

A proposal to amalgamate Donegal into a three-county Division with Sligo and Leitrim has been shelved following a review by senior Gardai.

The review was requested by the Garda Commissioner and conducted by an Assistant Commissioner, the Garda Senior Leadership Team has decided to re-configure the composition of certain three-county Divisions under the Garda Operating Model.

The three-county Divisions reviewed were: Laois/Offaly/Kildare; Waterford/Kilkenny/Carlow; Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim. Under the revised Divisional structures, the Divisions will be: Waterford/Kilkenny; Kildare/Carlow; Laois/Offaly; Sligo/Leitrim; Donegal.

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“What is regrettable is that time energy and resources race been expended pursuing a project that made no sense to anyone with the slightest knowledge or understanding of the challenges of policing Donegal,” Garda Representative Association President and Dunfanaghy-based Garda Brendan O’Connor told Donegal Live.

“The Operating Policing Model has not enhanced or improved policing in other large rural counties like Mayo and there remain many challenges ahead particularly in west Donegal where the existing Milford District is to be abolished.

“There remains uncertainty and a lack of clarity of where lines on maps will be drawn and whatever happens communities will be further geographically from decision making and operational policing hubs.”

It remains unclear what the news means for the role of Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken, who took over responsibility for the Donegal Division in December following the retirement of Terry McGinn. Chief Superintendent Glacken also oversees the Sligo-Leitrim Division.

Councillor Gerry McMonagle, the Chairperson of the Donegal Joint Policing Committee (JPC) says they will keep an ‘open mind’ and will continue to lobby the Commissioner to ensure Donegal gets the necessary Gardai to ‘help rebuild the confidence of the An Garda Siochana in the county and to enable them to provide an adequate policing service for Donegal’.

Councillor McMonagle told Donegal Live: “There is very little detail of what it might entail for Donegal or indeed the Gardai. We can only hope that it will be a positive move for the Gardai and indeed the Donegal community.

“Since it was first mooted that we were to be amalgamated with Sligo/Leitrim as one division, there was widespread concern that we would be sold short and lose out on building our dwindling Garda numbers and resources in the county.”

Councillor Gerry McMonagle. (North West Newspix)

Senior Gardai in Donegal, as well as the Donegal Public Participation Network (PPN), who represent 653 community groups across the county, had urged the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, to keep Donegal as a stand-alone Division.

The PPN pointed out that Donegal is surrounded by 1,100km of coastline, has a 100km border with Northern Ireland and is in close proximity to large urban centres like Derry, Strabane and Enniskillen.

The finding recently of washed-up parcels of cocaine valued at €4.2 million off the Donegal coast, the murder of a man in south-west Donegal and some high-profile public order incidents in the county have highlighted the stark issues that face the Gardai.

Mr Joe Boland, the Chairperson of the Donegal PPN Secretariat, has thanked the various stakeholders for listening to the group’s fears on the matter. He has implored Garda chiefs to ensure that Donegal is adequately policed going forward.

Commissioner Harris met with the Donegal JPC in January and heard at first-hand the concerns of members. Subsequently, the JPC sought support from the Policing Authority and the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee.

The changes announced, when implemented, will see the number of Garda Divisions go from 19 to 21. Before the introduction of the Garda Operating Model, there were 28 Garda Divisions. The Garda Operating Model has also seen the number of Garda Regions reduce from six to four.

There are currently 448 Garda personnel employed in the Donegal Division, assisted by 64 Garda civilian staff. That 512 total is up from the 436 tally in 2017, which included 404 Gardai.

The numbers continue to present real fears for frontline Gardai.

O’Connor said: “Given current issues with recruitment and retention there are genuine concerns amongst Gardaí in Donegal that we will not be a priority when competing with Dublin city for limited resources.  The centralisation of reduced numbers of personnel answering calls from further away seems an inevitability and community policing may well suffer. 

“The efforts of local management and public representatives to bring influence to bear on decision making has been successful in saving the Division, but other pending decisions have the potential to impact negatively on the provision of a visible accessible Garda presence in communities in Donegal.”

The review took into account the population and demographic changes in the country since the development of the original Operating Model structure in 2018, as well as projected population and demographic trends in the coming years. It looked at the number of incidents in the relevant Divisions, along with their operational and community needs. Staffing and accommodation were also factored into the review.

A Garda spokesperson said: "The revised Divisional structures will most effectively deliver the benefits of the Operating Model by supporting a more balanced level of service demand across the Divisions.

“It will also increase the capacity of Divisional Management teams allowing for effective service provision, and greater oversight and governance. The next phase of the review will see a further feasibility and detailed impact assessment completed to determine the timeline for deployment of the revised Divisional structures.”