Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly is confident his new policy of saturating Galway city centre with uniformed gardaí will not push petty crime into the suburbs.
Despite acknowledging a rise in firearm offences, and a perception of increased gang activity across city suburbs, Tuam and Ballinasloe, the State’s top cop refused to be drawn on why Galway city was chosen for the country’s third ever high visibility policing initiative.
“Organised crime is a separate area, and what our new operating model allows us to do is deploy significant resources here in the regions to deal with that [locally], as it used to be the case that a lot of support for [tackling] organised crime came from Dublin... Experienced, well-trained crime teams here have now had some really good successes around prosecutions for organising and directing organised crime,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at the Garda regional and divisional headquarters in Renmore, Commissioner Kelly said from today, an extra 13 gardaí will be deployed from Mill Street and Salthill Garda barracks to run seven high visibility patrol (HVP ) beats from 8am to 4am, every day. He also aims to appoint a new Galway city chief of police “within months” after Chief Superintendent Gerry Roche retired in June.
“The whole point of these high visibility patrols is twofold: to deter people getting involved in anti-social behaviour, and also to make people feel safe,” he said. “Ireland is a very safe country, but sometimes people don’t feel safe in our city centres, so that’s why we’re starting this high visibility programme.”
The introduction of the HVPs follows the allocation of 28 new gardaí to the Galway Division through transfers from other areas, and new recruits. HVP initiatives have been previously rolled out in Dublin, Cork and parts of Limerick.
New statistics from the Central Statistics Office show the overall crime rate across County Galway in 2025 was 408 reported incidents per 10,000 population - the 13th highest in the country. Road traffic offences are the most common, with burglary the least.
Commissioner Kelly expects national Garda numbers to hit 15,000 nationally this year – the strongest the force has been since 1922 – with an aspiration for 16,500 within five years, including a “significant uplift” in the 600 members currently serving in the Galway Division.
Kelly said a bumper class of 202 graduations from the Garda College in Templemore last month will allow him to assign more gardaí to rural stations, including across County Galway. He said he ultimately wants to see HVPs in every large, county town, after rolling it out first to major urban centres.
Members on HVPs will take “a really robust approach to policing” says the commissioner, especially in terms of shoplifting, drug dealing and aggressive begging. He said evidence points to this approach reducing robberies and street aggression, while increasing arrests for drug possession. He was not drawn on media questions about the efficacy of HVPs for tackling shoplifting.
“High viz beats are additional patrols, so we’re not drawing anyone from the suburbs into the centre,” said Kelly, who says he is in discussion with Assistant Commissioner for the Northwest region, Cliona Richardson, to deploy more than the promised 28 new gardaí to police areas outside Galway city centre.
Community engagement vans – essentially mobile offices – will be positioned around the city centre to support public engagement, and offer crime prevention advice. Acting chief superintendent of Galway Garda Division, Damien Flanagan, said these new high intensity patrols, allied with community policing, will “make a real difference on the ground”.
He said Garda planning was “shaped by a clear understanding of the issues affecting the city, and by listening to the concerns of the local community and business sector”.
