An Garda Síochána is currently interviewing members for a new position in Headford Garda station amid fears of rising rural crime in north Co Galway.
Policing for a vast area of county Galway, from Headford to Corrandulla, and Caherlistrane to Tuam, is currently carried out by only two full-time gardaí based in Headford. Deployment of a permanent third officer is understood to be based on health and safety, supervision and rostering requirements for the existing community gardaí.
Community representatives in the area welcomed the imminent appointment of the extra garda, but pointed out concerns about rising crime in the area.
“For the last number of months we have had a third Garda on a temporary basis, this new full time post will come into place in three weeks,” said Fianna Fáil councillor Mary Hoade, who praised the dedication of the two existing gardaí.
Claran-based Fine Gael councilor Andrew Reddington said his constituents were nervous about a spate of “cyclical robberies” over recent months.
“It happens in North Galway every couple of weekends,” says Cllr Reddington. “Gangs are using the motorway. I would urge people to keep an eye out over next couple of months [and] report suspicious activity to Gardaí - especially coming close to Christmas.”
Cllr Reddington said he accompanied a delegation of constituents who raised his concerns with Justice Minister Helen McEntee (FG ) last week when she met with Fine Gael representatives in Galway before she visited the Garda divisional HQ in Renmore.
“That weekend, three houses in Cloughanover were hit by burglers on the same evening. It’s happened before in Kilconly, Corrandulla, and Caherlistrane,” claims Reddington.
He has received assurances that the justice minister will visit Headford “in the near future” to inspect the €250,000 refit of the Headford garda station in Deerpark. Up until a decade ago, the nineteenth century building housed one Garda sergeant with three fulltime gardaí, and had one patrol car stationed there.
Last year three national schools in the Headford area were targeted by a burglary gang over the space of four weeks, prompting Garda HQ in Dublin to issue a national alert for schools to upgrade their security when closed at weekends.
“Going back over the last few years a lot of houses have been broken into in County Galway and you would need a garda on every boreen to catch them all,” says Reddington.
The councillor urged neighbourhood watch schemes in north Galway to update their text-based communications to instant social media apps, such as WhatsApp, and urged homeowners to seek professional advice about alarms and CCTV.
