Hi °C | Lo °C THE home of a pensioner was burgled while she attended Mass just metres from where the local garda barracks lies vacant.
Catherine Callinane (83) returned home after morning Mass in Brosna Church on Thursday to discover a substantial amount of cash missing.
Gardai confirmed they are investigating the incident they are treating as a burglary.
The incident has increased fears about the impact the closure of the garda station would have on their community.
Brosna garda station was one of nine stations in Co Kerry and 95 nationwide that shut for good last week.
Garda Tony Horgan, who worked in the north Kerry station for 23 years, has been redeployed to Knocknagoshel, 15km from Brosna, but will continue to police the Brosna area.
Vulnerable
The chairman of Brosna Community Alert, Timmy O'Sullivan, said people were upset by the coincidence that the burglary happened on the same day the station officially closed.
"This burglary highlights what we have been saying all along, that we are now more vulnerable without the garda station and people are becoming even more afraid for their safety as a result of it," he said.
Meanwhile, there were a number of burglaries on the Beara Peninsula last Tuesday when locals attended a briefing by the gardai on new policing arrangements following the closure of Lauragh garda station, including the theft of a television, cigarette machine and other stock at Sailors Bar in Killaha.
Irish Independent
