FIANNA FÁIL has expressed strong criticism of the Government’s decision to implement the Garda District and Station Consolidation Programme which will result in the downgrade of Gorey District Garda Station.

The matter was on the agenda at the annual general meeting of the P.H. Pearse Fianna Fáil cumann.

Cllr. Malcolm Byrne said that if Minister Alan Shatter’s decisions were not based on economic reasons as the Minister claimed, it did not make sense to create one of the largest Garda Districts in the country by merging Gorey and Enniscorthy.

Cllr. Byrne also pointed out that the loss of seven Gardaí in the Gorey area meant that the local station was under additional pressure.

He urged that the party would support the community initiative that was being set up to oppose the proposed downgrading and the meeting endorsed that view.

Cllrs. Lorcan Allen and Bernard Crosbie also highlighted the growing levels of serious crime in the North Wexford area with Cllr. Allen warning that people were afraid of the growing levels of thuggery in the community.

Full story in this week’s edition of THE GOREY ECHO.