The organisers of a public meeting due to take place in Tallow next week to discuss the threatened closure of their Garda station intend pressing ahead with the meeting, despite assurances from Chief Superintendent Pat Murphy that there are no plans to close the station.

The public meeting is being organised by Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert groups from Tallow and surrounding areas. Chief Superintendent Murphy stated at a Joint Policing Committee in Dungarvan on Monday, that there is no truth to the rumours that Tallow garda station is going to close. He told that meeting that all closures of garda stations in Co Waterford were completed in January 2013. He went on to state categorically that the Tallow station would not be closing and said they had no indication of any further closures in the future.

Local TDs John Deasy and Ciara Conway also said this week that they’d be given, and were satisfied by, assurances by the Garda Superintendent that there are no plans to close Tallow station.

A spokesperson for the groups organising the public meeting said however, their fears are not allayed as they were told by the Superintendent, at a Community Alert and Neighbourwood Watch meeting in Dungarvan three weeks ago, that the Tallow based Gardai were being moved to work out of Lismore and that they’d be based in Tallow for only a few hours a week. They fear that change is a first step in the winding down of the station, as happened in nearby Ballyduff.

“We ae not scaremongering. We have a genuine worry about this,” the spokesperson told The Avondhu this week. “We don’t want to see any erosion of the Garda  presence we have. We are going to miss the personal touch locally when they are moved to Lismore,” he said.

The meeting is something of a pre-emptive strike against any possible future plans to close the garda station. Organisers plan to have a petition for those attending to sign on the night. The meeting is being held in the community centre in Tallow on Wednesday, March 6th at 8pm. They are urging everyone from the area to attend. The meeting will be chaired by Muintir na Tire president, John Hogan from Ballyduff.