New Garda station on O'Connell Street will 'make people feel safer', says Taoiseach

Leo Varadkar said he was struck by the words of Dublin Deputy Lord Mayor, Darcy Lonergan, who said that the building allowed women to "breathe".

Dublin's main thoroughfare has come under the spotlight in recent months following an RTÉ documentary which highlighted anti-social behaviour in the area. File photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie xkv

A new Garda station on Dublin's O'Connell Street will increase garda visibility and safety in the area, the Taoiseach says.

The city's main thoroughfare has come under the spotlight in recent months following an RTÉ documentary which highlighted anti-social behaviour in the area. Plans were announced last year that the building which had been earmarked for a tourist assistance service would also house a garda station.

Speaking as the facility was opened on Friday, Leo Vardakar said that he was confident it would increase safety in the area. He said that there had been a reduction in crime in the city centre over the number of years.

"But I think what's actually very important sometimes is not so much how many crimes are committed, but also people's feeling of safety. And I know a lot of people who come to O'Connell Street — I was here on a Sunday night myself to go to the cinema — when I talk to people they often say to me that they feel unsafe. 

"What are the kinds of things you can do to make people feel safer on our streets? It's a more visible garda presence. And this is an important part of that."

Mr Varadkar said that he believed the presence of the building, which is close to Store Street and Pearse Street stations, would be part of an overall response to anti-social behaviour in the area. 

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He said that he was struck by the words of Dublin Deputy Lord Mayor, Darcy Lonergan, who said that the building allowed women to "breathe".

The Taoiseach added that recruiting gardaí was "a challenge" like everywhere else but that both entry ages and pension entitlements were under review.

Speaking at the same event, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the fact the building does not have cells is evidence of a shift to shared facilities in prominent areas.

"In effect, this should be seen as a community policing operation." Mr Harris said that the area had seen 11,000 arrests in the last 16 months.