At least six small rural Garda stations in County Galway are to be shut down inside the next year – but the most worrying aspect to this is that the Gardaí to not have the resources to provide any replacement cover.

It could mean that many rural parts of the county will not see a Garda for weeks on end leading to fears that travelling criminals will have ‘a field day’ in these areas.

And such are the fears that it is top of the agenda when Galway IFA hold a county executive meeting tonight (Thursday).

Indeed Galway IFA are to initiate a campaign to prevent the closures of the rural Garda stations and particularly as this move will not be replaced by mobile patrols, despite what some Garda chiefs would maintain.

It has been learned by The Connacht Tribune that two stations in Connemara are to close within the next year while at least four in East Galway are for the axe.

Senior Garda sources have revealed that as many as 20 Garda stations in County Galway will be shut down permanently over the next two to three years.

Galway IFA Chairman Michael Silke has said that the situation has reached crisis point and it was now time to call a halt before rural communities become totally vulnerable to attack.

The closures of the Garda stations are now coming in tandem with an ever reducing number of patrol cars that are available to the force.

Since the beginning of the year, for example, Garda cars have been taken from Glenamaddy, Corofin and Monivea which suggests that there are an ever decreasing number of vehicles available to the force in Galway.

Under threat in Galway West are Garda stations in Carna, Inverin, Rosmuc, Recess and Leenane could be under threat. In the East of the county the futures of Garda stations in Monivea, Kilcolgan, Ardrahan, Kiltormer, New Inn, Ahascragh, Killimor, Corofin, Kilconly, Barnaderg, Milltown, Ballymoe and Williamstown are all in serious doubt.

See full story in this week's Connacht Tribune.