Garda response times tested

Virginia incident sparks concern over resources

The Minister for Justice is being urged to review garda resources in the Virginia area following a serious public order incident in the town last week.

While four teenagers have since been charged and are before the courts, some politicans and eye witnesses have criticised the garda response time.

The Celt understands that gardaí were dealing with an alleged hit and run in Ballyjamesduff at the time with a number of patrol cars tied up there.

A parent whose son sustained injuries during the Virginia incident has voiced her criticism about the time it took gardaí to attend the scene despite what she says were a “huge amount” of calls.

Hayley Ní Chiarba received a call on Tuesday evening that no parent ever wants to receive. At 4:55pm, she was called to say that her son and his friend had been injured after an incident. She rushed to the scene, the Lidl carpark in Virginia, where she was informed gardaí had already been called, while an ambulance was at the scene.

When no gardaí arrived, Hayley said her husband called ‘112’ at 5:46pm and explained that the situation was serious and “escalating”. They say they were told there was no garda patrol car available due to another incident, and they were put through to the regional control centre.

“You call 112 because it’s the emergency line, something terrible has happened,” a frustrated Hayley said.

She said that “gardaí didn’t show up to the first incident” [an alleged assault(s) at the lake] and believes subsequent incidents may not “have happened” had they attended Virginia sooner.

“It seems to me they only showed when there was such a huge volume of calls coming in.”

The Celt understands gardaí arrived on Virginia’s Mainstreet at approximately 7:15pm.

Calls prioritised

Asked for a comment on the response times, a spokesperson from An Garda Síochána stated that “in addition to the calls” in relation to the Virginia incident “there were also a significant number of additional calls in the area including a serious injury road traffic collision, which required immediate multi-agency response, investigation, road closures and assistance with establishing a landing site for an air ambulance all of which required Garda resources”.

They explained that a man, who failed to remain at the scene, “was arrested a short time later and detained for questioning.”

The press office explained that calls are prioritised as they come in. “[The] most suitable resources are deployed at the first available opportunity.”

The spokesperson continued that “despite the volume of calls pending at the time”, An Garda Síochána “did respond to the incidents” in Virginia.

“As confirmed by the Garda Press Office, a number of youths have been arrested and detained in relation to these incidents. All four were charged and detained in Garda custody before appearing at Cavan District Children’s Court,” they said.

The spokesperson said that in situations such as crime in progress, or where urgent Garda assistance is required, members of the public should always contact 999/112 and “not a local Garda station”.

“Making direct contact with Gardaí on duty at Regional Control Centres provides the most up-to-date information to the control rooms and dispatchers. However, as previously stated, calls are and will always be prioritised for response based on the totality of incidents that any Regional Control Centre is dealing with at any particular time.”

They concluded by saying that community in the Cavan Community Engagement area is “policed by a professional dedicated cohort of members of An Garda Síochána who take great pride in delivering the most effective policing service possible”.

Garda resources

Meanwhile, Minister Niamh Smyth (FF) has said the incident has highlighted “the need to examine the level of Garda resources currently available in Virginia.”

“Virginia is served by one full-time sergeant and four full-time community gardaí who work tirelessly on behalf of the local community. However, in light of recent events, I believe it is appropriate that Garda resources in the area are reviewed to ensure they are adequate to meet local needs and provide reassurance to the public.”

Minister Smyth confirmed she has written to Minister Jim O’Callaghan seeking a review of policing resources in the town and surrounding area.