The Justice Minister says his department will examine whether civilians could be employed to extend Garda station opening hours.
Jim O’Callaghan was speaking in Cork, where he was asked about the amalgamation of Garda units due to a lack of officers.
He also said the aim to recruit five thousand trainee Gardaí over the next five years is key to allocating more members to parts of the country which typically receive fewer new recruits than Dublin.
Minister O’Callaghan outlined his idea to keep stations open:
