The Minister for Justice believes the roll-out of high-powered patrol cars will stop so-called ‘motorway robbers’ in their tracks.
The funding was confirmed earlier and Frances Fitzgerald also moved to rubbish any link between the closure of Garda stations and the rise in burglaries.
Stepaside Garda Station was one of 139 to take down its blue light as part of a new approach to the way our communities are policed.
Hundreds of locals protested over its closure. Local shopkeeper Des Kennedy was one of them. He felt it would play into criminals’ hands.
Last month, a Coolock gang was jailed for putting a Tipperary family through a brutal and violent home invasion. They used the motorway network to carry out the crime, and the case highlighted the fears of rural communities.
Today in the Dáil, the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald once again defended the closure of Garda stations.
Minister Fitzgerald has also confirmed funding for Audi 4X4s, high-powered motorbikes and unmarked BMWs, which she believes will be an effective response to these so-called “motorway robbers”.
