The establishment of a reserve Garda force cannot be used to justify a decline in the numbers of full-time gardaí on the beat, Fine Gael warned today.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said yesterday he was considering establishing a reserve force to help free up manpower to fight crime and help cut Garda overtime.
The Fine Gael justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy TD, said the reserve force, could not be viewed as an alternative to increased recruitment to the force of full-time officers and overall Garda reform.
"Fine Gael will support any practical common sense measure that reduces crime," he said. "However, we believe that this Government's priority must be to increase actual Garda numbers and act on measures to bolster a force that is quickly losing morale."
Mr Deasy also said the Government's commitment to provide 2,000 extra guards has not been honoured, there has been no significant level of civilianisation in Garda stations, and overtime has been cut drastically.
He also accused Mr McDowell of failing to increase the retirement age for rank and file guards and sergeants from 57 to 60, as promised.