MINISTER for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, says she has been advised by the Garda Commissioner that there are no plans to alter the status of Santry Garda Station.
As reported in Northside People last week, fears that the station was to be downgraded had been circulating in the area and gardai declined to comment on the speculation.
However, in response to a written Dáil question from Dublin North West local TD, Róisín Shortall (SD), Minister Fitzgerald said the Garda Station in Santry is a fully functional station and there were no plans to change its status.
The minister said the only change at the Santry Garda Station complex would be the addition of a property exhibit management store, which was being provided through the new Garda Station Building and Refurbishment Programme.
Fine Gael election candidate, Cllr Noel Rock, accused rival politicians of “shameful scaremongering” about the local Garda station’s status.
“Thankfully the good honest people of Santry see this for what it is: an embarrassing attempt by politicians to get headlines ahead of an election with no regard for the truth,” he said.
“The reality is there are no plans for downgrading. End of story.
“We [Fine Gael] are proud to have reopened Templemore, after Fianna Fáil closed it, and another group of graduates will be coming to Santry station in the near future.
“We hope to see more gardai on the streets in future, but in order to afford them, we need to keep the recovery going and keep the economy growing.”