Gardaí have warned that they will abandon what they describe as the worst Garda station in the country and begin policing a community of about 5,000 people from a station 15km away if the Office of Public Works does not urgently provide them with proper facilities.
Members of the Garda Representative Association yesterday warned that they would refuse to work in Dunmanway station in west Cork from April 2nd and would report for duty instead at Clonakilty Garda station if steps were not taken to provide a proper station in Dunmanway.
According to GRA west Cork representative, Pat O'Sullivan, the problems with Dunmanway station go back to 1978, but it has deteriorated so badly in recent years through rat infestation that five years ago gardaí were forced to work from a rented private house.
Mr O'Sullivan explained that the private rented house had no holding cells so if gardaí in Dunmanway arrested someone for public order or any other offences, they had to take them on the 15km journey to Clonakilty station to process them.
"We have no holding facilities and if we have to arrest someone for public order or drunkenness, then we are out of the town for up to two or three hours and the town is unpoliced for that period of time," said Mr O'Sullivan.
He said the GRA was calling on the OPW to agree to either refurbish the old station or purchase a new greenfield site within a kilometre of the town, or they would move out of Dunmanway and police the town from Clonakilty.
Local Labour Senator Michael McCarthy said the existing temporary accommodation offered people no privacy in their dealings with gardaí.
The people of Dunmanway were tired of promises and wanted action from the Minister for Justice and the OPW.
An OPW spokesman said a site had been identified at the rear of the old Garda station, but there was a difficulty with proof of title to the property.