No finger on Pulse for Garda stations
FOUR Garda stations in County Wexford do not have access to the Pulse computer system, a situation that has been heavily criticised by Fianna Fail TD James Browne.
The affected stations are Campile where there is one garda stationed; Carrig-on-Bannow which also has one garda; Rosslare Harbour and Glynn station which is currently vacant and serviced from Castlebridge.
While there is no Pulse access in the garda station in Rosslare Harbour, there is a connection at the Garda Immigration Office in the Port, according to a senior Garda spokesman in Wexford.
‘ This means that gardai based in these stations have to rely on their colleagues elsewhere to get the information they need to investigate crime and monitor suspicious activity’ said the Enniscorthy-based Deputy Browne, claiming that under-investment in infrastructure is hampering the fight against rural crime.
‘It’s astounding that in this day and age, we have 77 Garda stations across the country which still don’t have access to the Pulse computer system’ he said, after the information emerged in a reply to a Fianna Fail parliamentary question in the Dail.
It’s a shocking indictment of the way Fine Gael have treated Gardai while in office. They have persistently failed to invest in basic infrastructure that the gardai need to protect communities’, he said.
‘It’s well acknowledged that every minute matters when it comes to investigating and responding to incidents of crime’ said Deputy Browne. ‘ The fact that gardai have to rely on a middleman at times to get basic information means that their ability to respond to crime is hampered’.
‘Fine Gael have insisted they are serious about tackling crime but the reality is that they have failed to ensure the gardai are adequately equipped.
‘New information obtained by Fianna Fail shows that four Garda stations in Wexford do not even have broadband,let alone access to the Pulse computer system’.’
‘ They need to get to grips with this issue. The discussion should be focused on ensuring every garda vehicle has access to Pulse, as is commonplace in police forces across the developed world.
‘Instead, we are still trying to get all Garda stations connected to broadband and the Pulse computer system. How can we expect gardai to deal with rural crime if wwe fail to give them the tools they need to do so’, he said.