The recent spate of arson, knife and gun attacks in Galway city should ensure that the city is not left under-policed, Mayor Eddie Hoare said yesterday.
In light of the increased focus on street crime in the capital, Mayor Hoare was concerned that Galway might be left with inadequate numbers as pressure mounts to increase garda numbers in Dublin city centre.
Speaking to the Advertiser, he said that Galway City cannot be left behind when it comes to the allocation of Gardaí.
"Recent high profile assaults in Dublin cannot be at the expense of Galway City which has encountered a number of assaults in recent weeks and months - knife attacks, arson attacks and gun shots fired.
"Unprovoked street assaults have increased here in recent times too. Our Gardaí are a credit to our city. They take great pride in their work and keeping Galway safe.
"However, they are simply not resourced enough to address the full scale of crime being caused by a small minority.
He said that people should feel secure in the city, day or night.
"We have a booming night time economy and people should be able to feel safe and enjoy what our city has to offer. Nobody should be operating beyond the confines of the law.
"Residents of our city, visitors and those who come in on a daily basis to work, shop or socialise are entitled to see additional Garda resources devoted to Galway City, " he said adding that he wants to see the Government and Garda Commissioner acting decisively on violent crime.
"The Law should be there to protect the public and to punish those who break the law. Far too often this is not the case, more especially in the case of younger people carrying out assaults and the Government need to address this and tackle it head on.
"The increase of Gardaí promised for Dublin can’t be at the expense of Galway City. I will be contacting the Galway Chief Superintendent to ensure that Galway City will not be left behind when it comes to the allocation of extra Gardaí," he concluded.
