Warning of major surge in crime in city estates

Date Published: 13-Dec-2012

BY DECLAN TIERNEY

Fears have been expressed of an escalation of crime on the west side of the city if Salthill Garda Station is downgraded next year and eventually closed as part of the Government policing cuts.

An announcement is expected in the New Year that the Salthill District Headquarters will be amalgamated with Galway City, resulting in it no longer being a 24-hour station.

This means that it will also have a significantly reduced force, which is now a source of concern for community leaders in the Salthill and Knocknacarra areas who feel that they will be subjected to widescale break-ins like their rural counterparts at the moment.

According to Department of Justice sources, Salthill Garda Station will be downgraded in the next wave of cuts during 2013 and the headquarters will be merged with the city.

Local councillor Donal Lyons says that the reduction in Garda services was already evident in the area as the number of members involved in Community Policing had reduced from four to one.

“Three or four years ago, we had a terrible problem with the volume of burglaries, and it took a major effort on the part of the Gardaí to bring that situation under control.

“If the station in Salthill is downgraded or closed altogether, then the whole area becomes vulnerable to crime. This is a very worrying development but it is something that we can see happening on the ground,” Cllr Lyons said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.