Garda numbers boost

MALAHIDE Garda Station and Swords Garda Station are to receive four and three additional gardai respectively before the end of the month.

Speaking about the Swords allocation, Cllr Joe Newman (Ind) said this would go some way to relieving the pressure on existing members at the station.   

Cllr Newman praised the local gardai for their Trojan work in combating crime and noted the stress that they work under as the town has grown.

“It is imperative that Swords has an adequate number of gardai stationed here to deal with public order issues and the growing scourge of burglaries and robberies,” he said. 

Cllr Newman said he submitted a motion at a Fingal County Council meeting in October 2018 directing the chief executive to write to the Garda Commissioner and Minister of Justice to request that extra gardai and civilian staff be allocated to Swords Garda Station.

Cllr Eoghan O’Brien (FF), who represents the Malahide-Howth Local Electoral Area (LEA), also welcomed the news. 

"I have been advised that a substantial number of additional gardaí are to be stationed in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) North Division over the next eight months,” said Cllr O’Brien.

“I have detailed the importance of assigning these additional gardaí across the North Dublin region and especially in towns such as Donabate and Portrane where the Garda presence is still inadequate.  

“Despite being assured that An Garda Síochána are actively considering fully restoring 24/7 operations at Malahide Garda Station and being long promised the reopening of Rush Garda Station, our campaign will continue until this happens and that the entire community across north county Dublin is adequately policed.”

Separately, when asked about the reopening of Rush Garda Station, a spokesperson for the Garda Press Office said: “We are advised that work is currently being carried out on Rush (Garda Station) but we have no definite date for reopening at this time.”