A review of three Garda stations along the Border in Co Louth, staffed 24 hours a day because of the Troubles, is expected to recommend that two of them should have their opening hours reduced dramatically.
The three stations are Omeath on the Carlingford to Newry road, Dromad on the main Dublin-Belfast road and Hackballscross on the Dundalk to Castleblayney road.
Although all were built as sub-stations they were open 24 hours a day because of their proximity to the Border.
The findings of the internal review are due shortly and the first station likely to be affected is Omeath in the Cooley Peninsula. The station would no longer be staffed overnight and its daytime opening hours would change so existing gardaí would be available for other tasks.
It is understood that the numbers of people calling to the station daily does not justify having gardaí on the premises continually.
"We are in favour of this restructuring because the levels of manpower will be maintained and in the case of Omeath the existing gardaí will be able to carry out extra patrols and the Cooley area will continue to benefit from the same number of gardaí," said Garda Representative Association member Det Michael O'Driscoll.
The same outcome is expected in Hackballscross, which is near the Armagh-Monaghan border and the closest station to Cullaville where a local man was shot dead on Wednesday.
It is also in the vicinity of homes of a number of leading members of the Provisional IRA, including a former chief of staff of the IRA.
Fianna Fáil TD Mr Seamus Kirk said it was hard to argue against the better deployment of gardaí in the community.
But it was important that Border stations remained open each day, as they were a pivotal and reassuring part of Border communities.
Sinn Féin TD Mr Arthur Morgan feared crime would increase if the number of gardaí in Omeath was reduced.
However, the chief superintendent for Louth/Meath, Mr Michael Finnegan, said: "The gardaí will remain attached to the stations concerned and there will be no reduction in manpower."
The third station, Dromad, will continue to open 24 hours a day and there are plans to build a new station on a greenfield site to replace the existing building, Chief Supt Finnegan confirmed.