A community demonstration to highlight local policing concerns will take place outside Derrinturn Garda station, Co. Kildare this Saturday, April 26.

The organiser of the demonstration, Aontú local representative John Bryan, told Agriland the protest is hoping to raise a number of different issues around rural policing.

Firstly, the demonstrators want the number of gardaí assigned to the station to be doubled to 10, back to levels the station had in 2015.

The demonstrators are also hoping for an extension of the station's opening hours.

Bryan said: "Currently the station is open three days a week, for barely three hours of those days. So you’re talking about it being open less than 10 hours per week. We want to see it open from Monday to Friday, at least.

"As well as that, we want a general Garda presence around the area. We’ve seen a huge spike in crime in the last two to three years specifically."

According to Bryan, the demonstration is a "non-party event" and all elected representatives in the area have been invited to attend.

"We’ve had a lot of feedback on social media. There are people interested and going to attend," Bryan said.

"It’s hard to give an estimate as to how many people are going to attend, but it could be anywhere between 20 and 60 or 70 people.

"It’ll be a community gathering, there will be speakers from within the community. All of the local elected councillors and TDs have been invited to come. They are free to speak as well," he added.

Bryan has already written to the minister for justice, the Garda commissioner, and the Garda chief superintendent, outlining his requests for policing in the area.

"One of the purposes of the demonstration is to launch a petition. It will act as a follow-up to the letter, an example of the community asking for those things," he added.

The demonstration will begin outside Derrinturn Garda station at 2:00p.m. this Saturday, April 26.