€60m fund for Garda stations revamp
Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said three new stations will be built in Macroom, Co Cork; Clonmel, Co Tipperary and Sligo Town through PPPs while the Government will fund new stations in Glanmire, Co Cork, and Bailieborough, Co Cavan.
Ms Fitzgerald made the announcement at Athlone Garda Station yesterday, one of seven stations which will undergo major refurbishment.
These include Donegal Town, Newcastlewest in Co Limerick, Portlaoise, Athlone, Greystones in Co Wicklow, along with the Bridewell in Dublin and Anglesea Street, Cork.
The Cork station, a divisional headquarters, is to have cells for prisoners for the first time, and is expected to become the main holding area in the city for all prisoners.
Ms Fitzgerald said remedial works would also be undertaken at the Garda College in Templemore as well as Henry Street in Limerick and the Technical Bureau at Garda headquarters.
“This investment will allow us to provide new stations and to modernise older stations at key locations around the country, ensuring safe, modern working environment for gardaí as well as fit-for-purpose facilities for visitors, victims and suspects,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
She said, in many cases, work will get under way next year.
However, she admitted the three PPP projects, which will be managed through the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), will depend on the private sector’s response and generally take in the region of three to four years to complete.
GRA sources said a site had been identified in Macroom close to the fire station. However, it appears that no site has been picked for Glanmire yet.
Conditions are so appalling in both that gardaí have threatened to walk out of them. The government-funded projects will be carried out by the OPW.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) welcomed news that its many of its members would eventually see the back of overcrowded, dilapidated and unsuitable buildings.
“While we welcome any investment that improves the working lives for our members, I have said before that as a workforce we should not need to be grateful for having the tools to do our job.
“A fully functioning Garda station is essential for police work; we cannot record interviews or store evidence in patrol cars. Operations rooms and custody suites are basic tools,” GRA president Dermot O’Brien said.
He said many of the garda stations on the list had been waiting decades to be replaced or updated.
“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,” Mr O’Brien said.
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