Gardaí want NAMA buildings used as stations
Top gardaí called tonight for buildings coming under the control of NAMA to be reinvented as stations for their officers.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said National Asset Management Agency office blocks in prime locations should be made available to the Force.
General secretary Joe Dirwan claimed around 30 out of more than 700 stations were currently in need of an overhaul.
“Some of them are in deplorable conditions. This is an opportunity for the State to acquire property at good value at less cost to the taxpayer and use them to the benefit of the communities,” he said.
“It’s a way of refunding the taxpayer for the money they are going to invest into NAMA and into the banks.”
Speaking just hours before NAMA reveals how much will be paid for toxic loans, Mr Dirwan admitted a number of other groups might also lay claim to the buildings.
“Some of them could also be used for other government offices in a poor state of repair throughout the country,” he added.
The NAMA suggestion is one of 61 motions to be debated at the AGSI’s annual conference in Galway.
Among the proposals is the arming of regional support units on a full-time basis because of the increase in gun crime.
But Mr Dirwan warned the move could cause confusion between the Gardaí’s armed and normal uniformed sections.
“We don’t think it’s clear, the demarcation isn’t clear enough so we do have cause for concern,” he said.
“We do accept that we need a skilled armed response unit and the response unit does provide that but they want to go a step further.
“If in the event of the armed response unit being given a different type of uniform and an unmarked patrol car that’s distinguishable from a uniformed patrol car then we would look at that.”
Other motions include new stab vests, the withdrawal of cover for prison officers on strike, and the scrapping of the Garda Reserve.
“We don’t believe spending €3m on a part-time police force is giving good value to the taxpayer,” Mr Dirwan said.
“That doesn’t mean to say we don’t have fine people in the Garda Reserve but we believe the money it costs annually should be put into the resources of the Garda Siochana and used in the fight against crime.”
