Templemore Garda Training College here in Templemore, Co Tipperary, was once among the most elite of police academies in Europe. Its future seemed excellent with the purchase of a further 220 acre site at Clonmore, situated close to Templemore, for the inflated price of €5.5 million. Latter was ear marked for use as a firearms and tactical training facility almost four years ago.
Political Promises All Lies
In June of last year, at the Garda Training College, outgoing Fianna Fail Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern indicated that a new recruitment campaign would be implemented in late 2010.
The same Minister for Justice, Mr Dermot Ahern stated:
“For the people living here in Templemore this college is very important – it’s a fine facility here and its here will be used for the new recruits and indeed for their training. I know there were some suggestions that this place might be mothballed, however there is no question of that.”
Templemore Garda Training College
Confirmation from the Minister for Justice that the Garda College in Templemore was safe, was received by Independent Deputy Michael Lowry. Mr Lowry sought assurances after local Templemore Town Councillors spoke of ‘rumours of imminent closure‘ due to the current recruitment embargo. Deputy Lowry communicated this information to a specially convened meeting of Templemore Town Councillors and North Tipperary Oireachtas representatives, in Templemore town hall.
It now appears Mr Lowry was badly deceived by the government he so willingly supported and Tipperary’s largest employer in North Tipperary, this same Garda Training College, has been forced to lay off dozens of catering and housekeeping staff, together with large numbers of resident officers also being redeployed out of the facility.
This exodus of local employment and resources is currently having a severe negative impact on Templemore town and the surrounding region. We now see the volume of business and young people diminishing and the local families, who would previously have provided lodgings for the student Gardaí, are feeling the impact of the present recruitment ban.
It now appears that Garda recruitment will not take place until 2014 for full time members, with selection being made only from persons who have already joined up from the Reserve Gardaí volunteer members within An Garda Síochána, who provide support to full-time members and supposedly help to strengthen links between the force and local communities throughout the country.
It is envisaged that these Reserve Members will form 10% or more of the full-time professional force into the future. It now also appears that, thanks to the mismanagement of the outgoing government, Ireland can no longer afford to properly protect its citizens in the future.
Leave a Reply