The headlines I read this morning, about the number of police stations in County Fermanagh being reduced to three, startles me. The county used to have a police station in every town and village, of course.
How, on earth, can a local constabulary operate effectively without police stations? What purpose is served by a police car driven in and out of a village every so often?
Northern Ireland Police and their paymasters must have saved a fortune since the Royal Ulster Constabulary was practically disbanded; yet who persists in this course?
The consequence of station closures shall be increased levels of crime and lawlessness. That is blatantly obvious; otherwise, the local constabulary becomes virtually ineffective and inadequate. For instance, should an incident occur - it could involve a foreign tourist, a resident, a stranger or anyone - in a remote village, they will have no option except, somehow, contacting the police in Enniskillen, Lisnaskea or Irvinestown.
This is a bad decision which does immense disservice to the people of Northern Ireland.
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