Commissioner vows to increase Community Gardaí

Galway can expect to have more guards on the beat over the course of the coming twelve months, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said this week.

He said that 600 trainee Gardai would be recruited this year, although this would be offset to some extent by 300 cessations (retirements).

However, Commissioner Harris, said that the ongoing ‘civilianisation programme’ within the force would ‘free up’ another 500 Gardaí for operational duties.

The Commissioner told a Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting in City Hall that in addition to those extra 800 guards becoming available, recruitment would also be continuing on an ongoing basis.

Chief Superintendent Tom Curley also told the meeting that the ‘business case had been made’ to the Garda Commissioner and senior management on the need for more Garda personnel in Galway.

“Galway is a big county with both a large urban centre and a huge rural area to cover as well. We have 46 Garda stations dotted across the county and I’ve made a strong case for more personnel but I have to take my place in the queue,” said Chief Supt. Curley.

Commissioner Harris, who said that he was aware of how rapidly Galway was growing as a city, added that more Gardai would be coming available for operational work with the filling of administrative roles by civilians.

He said that one of the core principle of the Garda Síochána would continue to be in the three words of: ‘keeping people safe’.

“We have to be able to respond to the needs of the community and as our numbers increase, we want to have a strong and visible Garda presence on the street and in communities,” said Commissioner Harris.

Chief Supt. Curley told the meeting that over recent weeks, Galway had been allocated five new recruits but stressed that he still needed ‘extra resources’ to provide the level of service that he wanted.

Although the overall crime figures for the first two months of 2019 were down for Galway as compared to the same period last year, Chief Supt. Curley issued a warning on the growing menace of cyber crime.

“If we would get one message across to the general public, it is that they should never, ever give any of their bank details over the phone to anyone. Cyber scams are becoming more prevalent,” he said.