Roscrea Garda Station protest after town centre incident

Roscrea's town centre was brought to a standstill on Monday night when a protest outside the local Garda Station blocked the Main Street for over an hour.

The public demonstration was in response to a serious crime incident on Roscrea's Main Street the previous day, when a local man's car was stolen at knifepoint and the attackers fled the town in the hijacked vehicle.

A Garda investigation into the incident is ongoing and Gardaí are appealing for the public's assistance in locating the stolen vehicle.

Less than two weeks before the incident concerns over the lack of manpower and resources at Roscrea Garda Station were raised directly with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in the Dáil during leaders questions, when North Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD, Ryan O'Meara, said "Roscrea Garda Station effectively does not open anymore".

The violent hijacking of the local man's car in broad daylight on Sunday sparked outrage among the Roscrea community, evidenced in an outpouring of anger on social media in the hours after the incident.

In an impassioned social media post on Sunday night, Roscrea based Tipperary County Councillor, Shane Lee, expressed the concerns of the community and highlighted the incident happened "right outside our Garda Station".

"This is happening way too much in the country, but to think a small town like Roscrea has people like this walking around carrying knives is hugely worrying", he said.

Approximately 150 people attended the protest demonstration outside the closed Roscrea Garda Station on Monday night - which was not attended by any local elected representatives.

Despite blocking the Main Street to traffic for over an hour, no uniformed Gardaí or garda vehicles attended the event.

The demonstration was addressed by organiser Maria Phelan and was attended by the victim of Sunday's attack.

Ms Phelan said that in the wake of the abrupt closure of the Racket Hall Hotel in January of last year Roscrea was promised more Garda resources.

"In March of last year I sat with the Superintendent and Chief Superintendent in Thurles Garda Station and they said that if Tipperary received more Gardai Roscrea wouldn't be getting any", she said.

Ms Phelan said the Garda Station door was closed to the public when the incident happened on Sunday afternoon and stressed the protest is not aimed at the Gardaí currently working in Roscrea, whom she said "are currently stretched to their limits".

Taking aim at elected representatives and Garda management, she said "this has been our cry all along, but they've obviously just forgotten about us and forgotten about our little town".

"We want a garda presence on our street" she said and pointed out how Roscrea's Garda Station, which opens intermittently at unpredictable times due to staffing issues, creates a multitude of problems for local people.

"We want to be able to ring Roscrea Garda Station and speak to a Guard in Roscrea - not be transferred to someone in Nenagh or to a call centre down in Cork for our incident to be dealt with. Somebody could be dead at that stage", Maria Phelan said.

"I don't know how much more the people of Roscrea can take", Ms Phelan said and pleaded for local people to engage with their local elected representatives with renewed vigour and demand better resources for the town.

On Monday evening Sinn Féin's North Tipperary office issued a statement calling for "a functioning Garda Station" in Roscrea.

"The Lowry, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael government need to heed the continuous calls for more Garda resources to be provided for Roscrea", Sinn Féin's North Tipperary Cathaoirleach, Dan Harty, said.

"Policing in Roscrea has been on a downward slope for many years and has now truly reached the point of crisis. In what is the largest Garda District in the country in terms of area, Garda resources are stretched to an unacceptable level", he said.

"Last year extra Garda resources were provided for Nenagh and Thurles, with Roscrea overlooked. For a town with a population the size of Roscrea to be relying on a part-time police service is unacceptable” Mr Harty said.

“The people of Roscrea need extra Garda resources as a matter of urgency and our local government TD’s need to secure this, the time for excuses is over”, Roscrea Sinn Féin’s, Michael Donovan said.

“The recent mugging of a man at the point of a knife in broad daylight, a stone’s throw from an unmanned, empty Garda station is the last straw for the people of Roscrea”, Mr Donovan said.

“The lack of a Garda presence in the town is well known to those involved in crime and they feel they can do what they like, with little or no chance of being caught. Criminality is a full time business and the policing response needs to be full time too”.

An Garda Síochána have issued a request for public assistance in locating the vehicle involved in the incident, a Blue Kia Sorento Estate, registration number 141-G-3882

"This vehicle was the subject of a hijacking on Sunday 2nd November 2025, in Roscrea shortly after 5pm. The suspect in the alleged hijacking is believed to be Eastern European male, late 30s, 5’4” in height", the Gardaí said.

SEE NEXT: PICTURES: Roscrea Garda Station protest blocks town centre

An Garda Síochána are trying to identify the current location of this vehicle Blue Kia Sorento Estate, registration number 141-G-3882.

Members of the public, who see the vehicle, or with any information on its current whereabouts, are asked not to approach the vehicle, or any occupants, but to report any information or sighting by calling 999/112.