Commissioner called on to ensure Waterford is HQ of planned merger with Kilkenny/Carlow division

Minister of State John Halligan has joined fellow political representatives from Waterford in calling on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to ensure the city is the new headquarters of the planned merger with the Kilkenny/Carlow division.

All but one of the four local TDS and all 32 councillors signed a letter to Commissioner Harris urging him to chose Waterford over Kilkenny as the location of the headquarters for the amalgamated division.

Under the Commissioner's new Operating Model, launched last August, 18 divisions are being merged into nine divisions.

This is causing concern in the divisions affected, particularly in relation to the loss of divisional HQ status for nine of the divisions.

The divisions being merged are: Cork North and Cork West; Clare and Tipperary; Mayo and Roscommon/Longford; Donegal and Sligo/Leitrim; Cavan/Monaghan and Louth; Meath and Westmeath; Laois/Offaly and Kildare; Wicklow and Wexford; Kilkenny/Carlow and Waterford.

Divisions that are retaining their geographical boundaries are the six divisions in Dublin, as well as Cork city, Limerick, Galway and Kerry divisions.

The commissioner has received recommendations from his regional assistant commissioners on the location of the divisional headquarters, but has yet to make final decisions.

John Halligan

The letter sent by Waterford deputies and councillors said: “We the undersigned write to express our deep fears about possible structural changes proposed within An Garda Síochána. Our primary concern is the location of the headquarters of any new division."

It said the State's National Planning Framework recognised Waterford city as a regional city, acting as the capital of the South East.

“It is expected that the population of Waterford city will grow by 50% in the next twenty years," it said. "This level of growth requires careful planning and resourcing.”

It said Waterford had four-to-five days of court sittings each week, was the location of the regional hospital and pathology laboratory and had an airport and search and rescue service.

“Waterford Garda Station is the fifth busiest in the state and this statistic should be given consideration when a decision is been taken,” the letter said.

“The volume of crime, population trends and current spatial strategy all dictate that the headquarters and resource management of any new policing district would be in Waterford.”

The politicians said they acknowledged that the selection of the divisional headquarters was an independent process.

The letter further noted that Galway and Limerick counties retained their stand-alone divisions and said it was “regrettable” that Waterford did not.

“It is hugely important that the garda headquarters is not lost to the city and county,” the letter concluded.

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, a signatory of the letter along with deputy Halligan and Mary Butler TD, sought reassurances from the Commissioner at the Oireachtas Justice Committee last week, but the Garda chief did not confirm his intentions.