Green TD – Steven Matthews has called on the Minister for Justice – Helen McEntee to urgently support a review of services and the number of Gardaí in the wider Greystones area. This follows a recent meeting of the Greystones Municipal District Policing Plan Committee which outlined a reduction of up to 10 active Gardaí in this station, a requirement to increase the number of patrol cars available and the urgent need to provide upgrades to the existing Greystones Garda Station building.
Discussing his concerns, Deputy Matthews said:
“In recent times, so much focus has been put on Dublin City Centre in terms of increasing Garda numbers and patrols but closer to home, there is a clear issue with a reduction of active Gardaí in Greystones and other parts of county Wicklow. It is my understanding that there are currently no plans to provide additional Gardaí at this station and that is wholly unacceptable.
“Greystones is an area that is seeing huge population growth in recent times with further growth expecting in the coming years and should be seeing an increase in Gardaí as a result. To see the opposite happening shows a serious lack of forward planning on behalf of An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice. None of this is a criticism of the hard-working Gardaí in Greystones who are doing all they can despite the reduction in numbers and the inadequate facilities in the station building. They need more support at a national level.
“The Greystones Policing Plan Committee in conjunction with Wicklow County Council has put forward a very reasonable argument for an urgent review of services and I fully support them. This is about maintaining a visible police presence, keeping people safe and allowing for adequate patrols in our community.
“With regards to the Greystones Garda Station building itself, we have known for many years that it requires upgrades and the lack of urgency in carrying this out is hugely disappointing. I have included this in my submission to the Minister and I will work with her office and the Office of Public Works (OPW) directly to secure the funding needed to carry out this work.
“I am working directly with Wicklow County Council, the Department of Justice and the OPW to try and address these issues and I hope that Minister McEntee, in conjunction with the Garda Commissioner- Drew Harris can agree to a full review of existing services”, concluded Deputy Matthews.
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