WALKOUT ‘UNFORTUNATE’
THE Government has described as unfortunate a decision by Gardaí to walk out of Sligo Garda Station on Monday morning.
It said that it recognised the need for a new Garda Station in Sligo to replace a building which was built in the 1840s. A spokesperson for the Government said: “It is recognised that there is a requirement for modern Garda facilities in Sligo, and this has been included in the Government’s 5-year infrastructure investment plan, which extends to 2021.
“There is a programme in place to build a new station, in conjunction with the OPW, through a Public Private Partnership initiative.
“Interim refurbishments have been carried out at Sligo station to address pressing issues which have been identified in ongoing discussions with all stakeholders, including the Garda Associations
“Garda management has sought to address health and safety issues raised by the GRA, and local Garda management, supported by the Garda Chief Administrative Officer, have been engaged in an intensive discussions all weekend to achieve a resolution.
“It is unfortunate, given the efforts being made to resolve the issues, that the GRA have taken this action this morning.
“However, the most important thing is that policing services are not affected, and contingency plans are in place to ensure that this does not happen.
“These include relocating staff to surrounding Garda stations, and, where necessary, reassigning any prisoners to suitable locations.
“Talks are continuing to achieve an early resolution of the issues to everyone’s satisfaction, and I urge the GRA to engage fully in these efforts.”
Last August Junior Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran expressed confidence during a visit to Sligo that he would be in a position to announce a new station on a green field site in a matter of weeks.
The Sligo Champion understands the OPW Minister is close to signing off on a deal in the matter.