Anger voiced at Garda station plan

Seamus Enright & Sean McMahon

Tension over the new garda policing plan for West Cavan reached new heights in the wake of a daring raid of a bookmakers in Ballyconnell last week, where a masked gang escaped by robbing a car before gardaí arrived at the scene - almost 30 minutes later.
The delay in a patrol car attending a break-in at Boylesports bookmakers for up to 27 minutes has led to greater concern over the decision to close Ballyconnell Station at night.
Highlighted at Council level on Monday last, and at a public meeting in Ballyconnell later that same evening, the delay resulted from gardaí attending another incident elsewhere in the region at the same time.
It's understood up to three men smashed their way into the Ballyconnell Main Street premises, when the alarm was raised at 4.30am on September 6 last. Stealing a till, the vehicle used by the gang in making their escape was later found burned out in the Cavan Town area.
Along with the Boylesports burglary, there was an attempted theft of tools from a house near Castlesaunderson on September 6; two break-ins in Cavan Town on September 8, at Cavan Institute and Athbara House; as well as tools stolen from a shed near Swanlinbar, and a burglary at a house at Bothar Glas in Ballyconnell.
The Ballyconnell meeting heard senior gardaí defend the decision to close the station at night, claiming resources are more effectively deployed as mobile patrols.
To loud applause Ballyconnell meeting organiser Garry McKiernan challenged whoever fills the vacant Garda Commissioner to address, even reverse, the current situation.
“This is sending out the wrong message to would-be criminals and gangs that West Cavan with a maximum of four gardaí on patrol at night is a good place to commit crime,” he told the meeting.