A total of 27 new Gardaí will be assigned to Waterford, with officers also set to patrol the city as part of the high-visibility beats initiative.
The announcement was made this morning by Minister Mary Butler following an attestation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore, Co.Tipperary.
It has been announced that 25 of the new Garda officers will be deployed to Waterford city, and two will be stationed in Dungarvan.
The high-visibility beats initiative involves uniformed foot-patrols by Garda members, designed to combat street crime, anti-social behaviour, and public order issues. It has previously been rolled out in other cities such as Dublin, Cork and Galway, and will now be extended to Waterford city.
Speaking following the ceremony, Minister Butler stated: “I want to commend Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit and his team for the extensive body of work they’ve undertaken in recent months to secure the extension of the High-Visibility beats initiative to Waterford and the additional Gardaí announced today.
“It was confirmed in recent months that An Garda Síochána planned to extend High Visibility beats to Waterford. These High Visibility foot patrols are assigned to key areas in a specific city which are chosen based on feedback from the community and local businesses, as well as An Garda Síochána’s own crime location data. Residents, businesspeople, community groups and organisations such as the Local Community Safety Partnership in Waterford City & County Council have all played a key role in recent months in informing Garda management of the need for this initiative to Waterford,” The Minister added.
Minister Butler also thanked Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan for his ‘unwavering support’ in the wake of the tragic fire this week in Birchwood housing estate, which claimed the lives of four members of the English family.
“I’m conscious that so many of us remain deeply shaken by these events. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, their friends, the wider community in Birchwood and the young children critically ill in hospital. I want to sincerely thank An Garda Síochána in Waterford for the utmost professionalism and diligence they’ve shown in the wake of such tragedy. Such heinous acts of violence have no place in a civilised society,” Minister Butler concluded.
Minister John Cummins said: “This announcement is welcome news, which will provide more Garda visibility and greater reassurance for people in our communities. The high visibility beats initiative will also be extended to Waterford, and this will help combat street crime, anti-social behaviour and public order issues. These additional Gardaí will provide valuable support to their colleagues on the ground and ensure that our local Gardaí have the resources and personnel needed to carry out their important work.
“A strong, visible and well-resourced Garda presence is essential to ensuring that people feel safe in our communities and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these additional resources will have locally. I want to congratulate every new Garda on today’s achievement and wish them well. We look forward to welcoming those coming to Waterford,” he added.
A total of 207 new Gardaí were attested at Templemore today, which brings the number of Garda members in Ireland to 14,825, the highest in the history of the state.
Robyn Power
