'Disappointment' over new garda allocations for Kildare

Cllr Angela Feeney (LAB) has expressed her "disappointment" that no new Gardai have been allocated to Maynooth and that the Kildare town still operates only a part-time Garda station.

Thirteen new Gardaí have been assigned to Garda stations across County Kildare, following a major attestation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore.

Six new Gardaí are being assigned to Newbridge, five to Leixlip, and one each to Naas and Kildare Town but none to Maynooth.

READ NEXT: Well known Kildare retailer closes up shop after 50 years of trading

“It just beggars belief that a town the size of Maynooth has no full-time Garda station and that no new Gardai have been allocated to the station under the latest deployment. Last year it had just 15 Gardaí assigned to it, compared with 68 in Leixlip”, Cllr Feeney said this week.

In March this year, Cllr. Feeney submitted a motion calling for a letter to be sent to both the Minister for Justice and the Garda Superintendent calling for a full-time Garda station for Maynooth.

“While I welcome the recently adjusted opening hours, it's just not good enough.  It is unacceptable that a town the size of Maynooth does not have a full-time Garda station of its own. The current population of Maynooth and the additional university population more than justifies the need for a Garda station for the key county town of Maynooth”.  

“People need to feel safe and there is an increasing rise in criminality.  I commend the Gardai and the community Gardai for the great work they do under such challenging circumstances. I will continue to fight for basic services for our communities”.