Three new gardaí for Mayo but assignment policy questioned

THREE newly graduated gardaí are being assigned to Mayo - two in Ballina and one in Castlebar - from the latest batch of 167 members to pass out in Templemore.

Over 55% of gardaí end up in Dublin, and getting back down to Mayo is proving difficult, Councillor Michael Loftus highlighted at a meeting of Mayo County Council.

Councillor Loftus has again extended an invitation to the Garda Commissioner to attend a meeting of the local authority.

He wants to see the reinstatement of a Chief Superintendent in the Mayo Division along with having more gardaí in the county.

Out of two tranches of gardaí to pass out in the last three months, 191 members out of 344 ended up in Dublin, said Councillor Loftus. That, he said, was 'unbelieveable'.

He was asking for more gardaí in Mayo, and he also wanted to ask questions about procedures, saying Mayo is one of the hardest divisions to get back to despite many gardaí looking to return here.

Councillor Loftus also has questions about the Garda Reserve, saying in the last tranche Mayo got one member, and he wanted to know about policy around how they are assigned.

Also on law and order, Councillor Michael Burke said the free legal aid system needs to be reexamined.

The amount of money being paid out for people with multiple convictions was 'ridiculous'.

And they can't have people coming out of court laughing and giving the two fingers to the gardaí, the tax payer and the government, he said.

* Published under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme