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 The Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, announced the Annual Policing Plan for 2013 before the Houses of the Oireachtas recently. His stated aim was to make the force more effective and to reduce its costs significantly.
Under the Ministers plan, some 100 Garda stations will close, while 28 Garda districts will amalgamate into just 14, and it is now anticipated that most of the rural stations will be closed in the first six months of 2013.
To my mind the recently announced closure of remote garda stations here in rural Tipperary is not really an issue or a reason for alarm. Some local politicians however have been quick “on the draw,” to react negatively to these proposed changes, possibly in their search for that ever welcome newspaper vote gathering headline or radio interview.
The five stations marked for closure in Tipperary are New Inn, Grangemockler, Terryglass, Rearcross & Dundrum, with two other stations close to our county borders, namely Galbally & Johnstown.
Most of these stations marked for closure are simply run down, one man stations, which only open part-time and rarely if ever at night. These stations are truly obsolete and a complete waste of both manpower & resources, while offering little or no contribution in either preventing or indeed solving rural crime.
Of much greater concern to Tipperary rural dwellers however is Minister Shatter’s apparent determination to drastically reduce Tipperary Garda numbers and his failure to date to provide promised adequate replacement Garda vehicles and equipment.
Money now acquired from the sale of these station assets must be directed towards increasing Garda numbers, vehicles and supplying up-to-date technical equipment, thus providing increased mobile patrols in the Tipperary rural area.
Our present government must not now place the security of this county at risk in their efforts to meet the financial demands of our current masters, “The Troika,” who appear to be interfering with essential elements of our national security.
Lest we forget, today marks the 40th anniversary of the Sackville Street bombing, which took place in Dublin forty years ago, on the 1st December 1972. A Fethard, & Co. Tipperary native was one of two victims who lost their lives in this tragic event.
 George Bradshaw was just a young man of 29 years, when he was brutally murdered in this Dublin Street, his only crime, being there.
George had married his wife Kathleen, a nurse from Belfast and a mother of two young children, Lynn and Rory. He was employed as a bus driver with CIE and the family had only moved to Dublin less than two years previously, when this unforgivable tragedy occurred.
George was working the late shift that December night when at around 8.00pm a bomb exploded on Dublin’s Eden Quay. When the CIE canteen was evacuated, George and a colleague were caught in the blast of a second bomb, containing an estimated 100lbs of high explosives, which had been placed in a rented car parked on Sackville Place.
It was established that this car bomb which exploded in Sackville Place was a silver-grey Fort Escort Registered No. 9551-VZ . The Irish police investigation, carried out in Belfast, revealed that the car had been hired on the 30th November 1972, from Moley’s Car Hire Firm, 49 Victoria Square, Belfast, at 9.00 a.m. on 30/11/72, by a man using a stolen driver’s licence in the name of one Joseph Fleming.
A Photo-fit illustration of the man, described as the hirer of this silver/grey Escort motor car, was issued. (See Picture above.)
A description of the man was also issued, stating he was 40 years old, 6ft tall, weighing 14-15 stone, with round reddish face, fair hair thinning on top and receding. He was wearing a modern style, brown coloured gabardine over coat, was of well dressed appearance, and was perceived as a business man. He spoke with a cultured North of Ireland or English accent.
It is now claimed that Loyalists, aided by British intelligence, carried out this civilian murder, in an attempt to force the Irish government to crack down on paramilitaries. On that day the Dáil was debating the introduction of “The Offences Against the State Act.” As this news filtered through into Leinster House, Fine Gael decided to drop their objections to this Bill, resulting in it being passed with little opposition dissent.
No one has ever been convicted for this brutal murder and a wreath laying ceremony will now take place at Sackville Place on Tuesday next, in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the CEO of Dublin Bus, Justice for the Forgotten together with members of the victim’s family.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.
A number of disused buses caught fire at the Bus Éireann maintenance depot at Abbey Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary this afternoon.
The blaze broke out in one of the old buses which then spread to three other such vehicles at around 2.30pm. The buses were stored in the yard mainly for use as spare parts & scrap.
Video footage at the scene has been provided for us by Pat Corbett of the fire that happened today at the CIE Bus Depot on Abbey Road, Thurles. This is the second fire to have occurred in the Bus Depot this year. The previous fire was also reported by Thurles.info on this page.
 Chapel Lane, Golden, Co. Tipperary. A man was shot dead at 6.45 am this morning at a house on Chapel Lane in the village of Golden, Co Tipperary approximately 30 km from Thurles. The victim, Mr Shane Rossiter, died later after being rushed to hospital in Clonmel. Mr Rossiter became the 14th victim of gun crime this year to date.
The scene of the incident was quickly sealed off and the State Pathologist is due to undertake an a full examination today.
It is believed the victim, possibly aged in his thirties & who is from Clonmel, was shot in the stomach after answering a knock to his front door. Gardaí believe that up to two gunmen were involved in this incident and that they may have been looking for a second man, who was also staying at the house. Latter is understood to have been a possible associate of Declan O’Reilly, a Dublin criminal, shot in a gangland execution last month & who had already received a death threat.
It is believed the deceased was well known to Gardaí, & had previously been convicted of drug dealing.
Gardaí are now appealing to anyone with information to contact them in confidence at Tipperary town Garda Station, on Telephone No 062-80670, or the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666-111 or indeed any other Garda Station.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dílis.
A male in his thirties is considered to be in a stable condition in the Mid West Regional Hospital, County Limerick, following an assault here in Thurles yesterday.
 The man is understood to have been injured in an altercation with a group of some five men, in the Gortataggart (Translated: Bog of the Priest) housing estate, opposite Thurles Co-Op Creamery on the Templemore Road out of Thurles at around 1.30pm yesterday.
The victim was immediately rushed to the Mid West Regional Hospital in Limerick, where it is understood he underwent surgery.
Thurles Gardaí would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this assault or who may have noticed suspicious activity of any kind in the Gortataggart or surrounding area especially between 12.30pm and 2.00pm yesterday.
Gardaí can be contacted locally at Telephone No 0504 25100. Information received will be treated in confidence.
Other Crime
Meanwhile in a completely different incident, a 26 year old Thurles man, who appeared before the court in Limerick city yesterday, has been remanded to appear before Thurles District court in the coming weeks for the activation of a previously suspended sentence he received following the committal of a previous robbery offence.
Mr George Hackett, with an address at Monakeeba in Thurles, stands accused of stealing €320 from the handbag of an elderly woman on a train bound between Thurles and Limerick city. Mr Hackett is understood to have boarded the train disguised; dressed as a priest.
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