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Updated 19.55
A NATIONWIDE REFURBISHMENT programme for garda buildings was announced today with five new stations due to be built and major works planned in other areas.
Alongside this there will be a major spending spree on vehicles, with €5.3 million to be spent on 260 new garda vehicles between now and the end of the year.
The programme was announced by Ministers Frances Fitzgerald and Simon Harris in Athlone this morning.
In total, 30 locations across the country will benefit from the new stations and refurbishments with over €60 million in investment between 2016 and 2021.
Today Minister Fitzgerald said the investment will ensure a “safe, modern working environment for Gardaí as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims and suspects”.
The plan
New stations will be built in:
The map below also shows the areas where major remedial works are planned in stations:
Between 2012 and 2013, almost 140 garda stations across the country were closed, mostly in rural areas.
At this year’s Garda Representative Conference in May, representatives from some of the areas that are getting new stations had spoken of the poor conditions.
West Cork representative Jason Collins referenced “hanging wires, cramped locker rooms, packed hallways and no rest areas” for gardaí in Macroom. Another member said gardaí were, in some areas, being forced to work in “third world conditions”.
High-speed pursuit
New vehicles are also set to be purchased to assist gardaí in the pursuit of mobile gangs.
Included in the new fleet will be marked and unmarked patrol cars; surveillance cars; high-powered vehicles; motorcycles for high-visibility policing and vehicles for public order policing.
The 260 new vehicles will be added to the 370 that have already come into use so far this year.
The issue of mobile gangs travelling into the country to commit crimes has grown in visibility in recent years, with seven men from Dublin sentenced to lengthy jail terms following the violent burglary of the Tipperary home of Mark and Emma Corcoran.
Catching up
Today the association welcomed the news that “members who have worked for many years in overcrowded, dilapidated and unsuitable buildings are now being considered as the economy recovers”.
However GRA President Dermot O’Brien said a workforce “should not need to be grateful” for having the basic tools to do their job.
Many of the garda stations on the list have been waiting for decades to be made viable for modern. One station on the list is a three storey building with a wooden staircase and no fire escape. These buildings should have been prioritised in the past 20 years. We have some considerable catching up to do – this should be regarded as merely a starting position.
In seven stations, exhibit management stores will be upgraded and cells in 15 stations will be refurbished. Stradone in county Cavan is also getting a special victim’s interview suite.
The minister said the timescale for completion of the new stations is dependant on the market’s response, but they usually take in the region of three to four years to complete.
- First published 12.12pm
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Don’t want swanky new garda station, we have a perfectly lovely one in my village, all it needs is what’s meant to be in it! A GARDA!
Just one? You see thats why its closed, anywhere that only requires one guard doesn’t need to be open.
Sure while the humour’s on ye, build some prisons too!
can we have new a police force the present lot are not fit for purpose unless it has something to do with water meters
Gav, there’s a shortage of gardai so yeah one would be grand. better than none and us boggers aren’t greedy and think sharing is caring.
Seen as only one of those places is a village I guess we are thinking of the same place. Yeah the village is fine (because half of it is closed down) but the surrounding are is going to crap. We could definitely use a few more Garda around the place.
jesus will you put a sock in it. do you really want to embarrass yourself in front of every one?
jesus has not commented on this article so no point telling him to put a sock anywhere.
I think I see who that comment was actually for, feckin hate when you reply to someone and it lands under some innocent!
Ah FFS, I just did it to mesel! JOHNNY!
We already have lots of gardai stations what we’re short of is gardai to work in the areas of them
Anyone can stick pins on a map and talk shyte before an election. And they usually do.
The Bailieboro garda station was condemned unsafe years ago. There is the old disused courthouse would make a decent rebuild.
Tweed Cap I totally agree with you, all the awl shite will start tumbling from these shyster government ministers the nearer the election gets.It a load of shite, do not believe these chancers.
some of the garda stations really could do with a make over , they just need to remember to put gardai into them when it’s finished .
Elections are great things. Memories are even better.
Amazing how Alan Kelly constituency and all the Cork ministers get papered with new stations while non minister areas get rises in crime
Isn;t that always the way? Ministerial clout is the most important factor in any constituencies development.
It’s always the way for Fianna Fail and fine gael, the dinosaur parties of Ireland
That doesn’t really explain why Limerick city is getting diddly squat, does it?
It’s well established James, that more ‘savvy’ (and that’s very debatable imo) voters are most likely to vote for a politician in their constituency they feel will become a minister if elected or if their party succeeds. It’s one of the reasons people like Michael Martin in Cork will hold his seat and always does through thick and thin. It’s why Simon Coveney, even if he didn’t bother his arse electioneering. is guaranteed to get elected. Profile, and clout.
Voters want to be represented on the big stage.
It’s short sighted, but that’s how it works.
Alan Kelly’s political career is fuc**ed. He will join his brother in that water company the chancer.
We were looking for a bit of ministerial cloud here in Sligo with John Perry and Jimmy Devin’s before him but it seems junior ministerial clout is administered round the voters ears.
So they refurbish a handful after shutting down a fortune of them? Why not reopen the ones you closed to save a paltry 500k, and then go and announce your refurbishment plans and new stations? Otherwise this just looks exactly like it is – ridiculous.
Because Alan the new modern stations are being placed where they need them. The old stations that were closed were where they don’t really need them and a large number of these had only a single guard or occasional opening hours. It’s called modern policing. Of course in ireland every small town and village expects a Garda station, a post office, a hospital and a rail link and this is what gets lads elected. It makes rational policy impossible.
What’s 500k for the the peace of mind of many people?
Alan it’s not the €500k. It’s the redeployment of resources away from an inefficient use and their use in more modern and more mobile ways. Fortunately this policy is now backed by significant cash in Garda ICT and other resources.
do you think the government want the electorates approval/gratitude???
The REAL news is that Sinn Fein is planning to go into coalition with Fine Gael after the election if it doesn’t have the numbers to go in with Fianna Fail. Fact. The word is out. I have heard from very reliable and credible sources that Sinn Fein’s Plan A after the election is to go into Government as Fianna Fail’s junior coalition partner. BUT if Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein don’t have enough seats to form a Government Sinn Fein will happily go into Government as Fine Gael’s junior coalition partner. Fact. This is an absolute disgrace and a real BETRAYAL by Sinn Fein of everything they supposedly stand for. That they are contemplating putting those Fine Gael clowns back into power is nothing short of a COMPLETE SELL OUT!! I have given my Number 1 vote to Sinn Fein in every election since 1997 but having heard what they are planning to do I cannot, in good conscience, give them my vote in the upcoming election. I have been giving all this a lot of thought and I have come to the conclusion that the ONLY WAY to get rid of this Government of clowns is by giving my Number 1 vote to Fianna Fail. Because Fianna Fail are the ONLY PARTY that will definitely not return Fine Gael to power. Fact. That is why I would strongly encourage you all to follow my lead and vote for Fianna Fail. #WakeUpPeople
Fianna Fáil?! You really are stupid
Sam that’s quite the opposite of a fact, it’s a lie. their Ard fheis ruled out trumping up ff or FG at their last Ard fheis. Unlike Fine Gael sinn fein decide policy from bottom up not top down
Internal research within FF has already shown its base would split if they went for a coalition with SF. FF are the most anti-SF party out there. Nor would that split in FF happen evenly. The vast majority of FFers oppose a coalition with SF. It won;t happen this time round.
As long as Adams is leading no-one will touch them. Mary Lou was previously a failed FFer, and FF do like political runts, so they may have had some chance of it happening had she been leading.
If Gerry steps down after the election (very likely if coalition talks become a reality) then, maybe there’s an outside chance of something happening. But it’s very very remote.
You also fail to aknowledge that sinn fein also havte agree a coalition with FF which they won’t as 1 member 1 vote won’t allow it.
VLI, Sam Robertson is a notorious FG troll, I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Sam Robertson, how much do you get as a FG troll nowadays?
The map makes it look like the west of Ireland is getting nothing
Most of the Electorate Votes is in the East.
There are no Ministers from Connacht constituencies.
Was there not a story a week or so ago about a fancy new station for Galway or was that just spin again?
Yep, 28 million on a HQ.
http://www.thejournal.ie/garda-regional-headquarters-galway-building-2393321-Oct2015/
ahh Enda the Mayo clown.
Nothing for Roscommon then, they buggered the A&E weeks after they came into power I guess they reslise they have got feck all chance of votes so they cant be bothered.Its all a bribery plan!
Fran. From what i hear Enda wont even be voted in in Mayo.
No shortage of money it seems.
Where’s all the cash coming from I wonder?
Early indications are this government is not getting its expected post-budget bounce, so that will worry them hugely. If the water charges protestors wanted some easy prey, they may get their chance early in the new year.
The government have endless cash for handouts and electioneering. They cannot however house our homeless, get the youth onto the property ladder, help those self employed, keep the HSE fully functional etc… This government succeeded for the top 10 of society but failed the rest “but where will the money come from”!
Easy to see ITS ELECTION TIME!. Time to buy the electorate votes and renege on everything afterwards.
Any chance of stations being open for more than three or four hours a day?
Criminals only work 3 hours a day…everyone knows that.
wow peter , that’s not bad , ours open for two hours a week and that’s only when they have someone to come down and open it up . took me two weeks just to get my form signed for a passport .
We need more Guards on the street, with concentrated shows of force in certain areas, im thinking Dublin 1.
Dublin 1 is filled with drug addicts and homelessness. Some having mental health issues combined with addictions. They need safe injection centres, a repealing of the misuse of drugs act, social housing completions, rent certainty and a decriminalsation programme maybe trialed for the area. more guards always helps but will never serve as a solution to these deeply concentrated issues.
complicated*
in most capitals and top night spots in cities you would see a lot of police on the streets at closing time except for Ireland . it doesn’t make sense at all !
It’s what you would expect from an antiquated “community” based police force, ie resources spread thinly, inefficiently and ultimately ineffectively. The modern way is to concentrate forces on certain areas based on latest intelligence.
We need more capital investment in Guard services, and more Guards on the street. We do not need improved salaries, pensions and benefits for Guards.
No point in building new garda stations when there is not enough gardai to put in them
How about actually opening the station in stepaside? Burglary in Sandyford and Stepaside massively increasing and the nearest station is Dundrum! Fat lot of good in an emergency scenario that is. Let’s face it too, we are not speaking about a remote rural outpost that make logistics tough….this is a densely populated suburban area!!!
Too little, too late…
Smacks of another vote buying stunt. Refurbished stations don’t stop crime, Gardai do. Put the money into hiring more gardai, stick them in high viz vests and get them out patrolling. That’s what the job is about. Police presence stops crime at source. You could spend four hours walking around junkie filled Dublin city centre in the afternoon without seeing a single Garda, yet you are a 5 min walk away from some of the city’s largest stations. Why is that? We need proactive high visibility policing. Yes we need rural stations also but we need the people to put in them first.
No. I don’t think the Internet Police actually have a station.
Could we not just replace the Gardi and reopen the stations that were closed first? Instead of the same old lets through money that we don’t have at something that we already have
Dublin getting passed over as per usual. Must be a nice cushy life in rural Ireland!
Dublin is getting a huge new Garda building in The Liberties, which was announced some time ago.
What’s the author’s obsession with the term *swanky*?
jeeez isn’t a pity we dont have an election more often !.
what are they at with newcastle in west limerick there’s a fine big station just 20 minutes away in Abbeyfeale which was supposed to be the main centre for west limerick and north kerry and its closed, opened one evening a week or something what a waste!
No
Nope!
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