THE ASSOCIATION OF Garda Sergeants and Inspectors only found out about the closure and amalgamation of garda stations at the same time as the media did, it was revealed today.

President of the association Willie Gleeson told Matt Cooper on Today FM this evening that his association is not negative on this issue, and “we have consistently looked for briefings and meetings with the Minister [for Justice] and [Garda] Commissioner, and with their management teams in relation to this issue”.

But he said that:

unfortunately it was yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening that we discovered the details of this at the same time it was released in the media.

Gleeson said that the station closures and district amalgamations are coming at a time when resources are already stretched, and when Garda numbers are reduced.

He also said that they have an inadequate garda fleet and that though they have been promised 170 vehicles, they are losing 1 vehicle per day due to them being decommissioned.

“We are taken aback at the scale of the station closure and district amalgamations,” he said.

Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, announced the Annual Policing Plan for 2013 yesterday, saying it aimed to make the force more effective and efficient, as well as reducing its costs significantly.

Read: Names of 100 garda stations to close next year>

Read: 100 garda stations to close and 28 districts to amalgamate>

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