Galway left short on Garda recruits
Galway is not getting its fair share of new Garda recruits – and has fewer Gardaí per head of population than similar cities and counties, according to new figures revealed this week.
Galway Senator Ollie Crowe (FF) has urged Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to prioritise the allocation of more Gardaí to the Galway Division, after stats showed it was lagging behind.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has confirmed in the Dáil that only 73 of the 3,781 probationer Gardaí were sent to Galway after passing out of Templemore in the past six years.
Some 62 of the probationers were allocated to Galway Garda Station between 2015 and 2021, four were sent to Salthill and one each was allocated to Ballinasloe, Gort, Loughrea and Tuam.
Three probation Gardaí were allocated to Galway Garda Station so far this year, according to the Minister.
Waterford got 136, Limerick got 133, Cork city got 117, Wexford got 114 and Donegal got 119.
Senator Crowe said 73 out of 3,781 means just 1.7% of recruits were sent to Galway.
“But as the most recent Census figures in 2016, Galway has over 5.5% of the population of Ireland. The under-resourcing of Galway Gardaí is further evident when you compare with similar cities and counties.
“In Waterford there is one Garda for every 312 people; in Limerick there is one Garda for every 328 people; however, in Galway the number increases significantly and there is one Garda for every 425 people,” Senator Crowe said.
He has written to the Garda Commissioner urging him to allocate more resources to Galway, where there has been an upsurge in burglaries since Covid-19 restrictions eased.
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