I am calling for a new Garda station for Clongriffin and Belmayne. I agree with my Labour colleague, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, that the inclusion of the area in the existing Coolock Garda District has proven problematic, due to the size and population of the area.
Residents of Clongriffin and Belmayne currently rely on the Coolock district Garda Station and Clongriffin Garda clinic to cater to the needs of the entire community. This poses major problems as the station is located 4km away from the region. With the population of Clongriffin and Belmayne set to grow to as many as 50,000 people in the next few years, already limited Garda resources will be unable to provide an adequate service to the population.
2018 saw shocking incidences of anti-social and criminal behaviour in the region, such as at Clongriffin DART station, where as many as 20 armed individuals allegedly blocked the doors of a train, traumatising passengers. With the local Garda station located 5km away from the location of the incident, local residents are justified in their frustration at the lack of a station tasked solely with the Clongriffin and Belmayne area.
As Senator Ó Ríordáin noted in the Seanad, the Department of Education failed to heed calls for a new, local secondary school until well after they had been made. The Government should now seize this opportunity to listen to the community and build a new Garda station to accommodate the growing population of the area.