Where’s our new Garda Station?

NEGOTIATIONS HAVE NOT CONCLUDED ON A SITE FOR THE NEW GARDA HQ

Fed up Gardaí in Sligo could end up walking out soon if progress isn’t made to find a new station.

Toilets leaked into the public office on Sunday night, the latest inconvenience Gardaí have had to put up with in a station condemned in an independent report as not fit for purpose.

There has been commitments of new green field site being bought for a new station but the OPW has yet to make an announcement despite a commitment by Junior Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran in August in Sligo that he would be in a position to name the site in a matter of weeks.

Deputy Mac Sharry commented, “Sligo Garda Station is a regional and divisional headquarters which houses an Assistant Commissioner, a Chief Superintendent, a Superintendent, 140 Gardaí and 20 civilian staff. There are no shower facilities and there has been no drinking water available in the station since October 2016. If someone is arrested, they have to be taken 15 miles to Ballymote because the cells in Sligo have been condemned. In short, the division is in dire need of a new building.”

GRA spokesperson in Sligo, Ray Wims says members are totally disillusioned with the empty promises by government over the muchtalked about new HQ . He did not rule out the possibility of a walk-out by members. Such a move was postponed last year and resulted in a kitchen renovation but not much else at the Pearse Road station. The OPW told The Sligo Champion that negotiations were continuing with regard to acquiring a new site but a deal hadn’t been reached.

THE OPW say negotiations haven’t yet been completed on the purchasing of a new green field site for a new regional Garda headquarters in Sligo.

Last month, OPW junior Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, on a visit to Sligo, was confident that he would be in a position in “a matter of weeks” to name the site chosen for the new station.

However, in a statement to The Sligo Champion, an OPW spokesperson said while it was progressing the process of procuring a suitable site for the new Garda station, negotiations were not finalised as of yet.

“The OPW is progressing the process of procuring a suitable site for the new Garda Station and is working to complete this process as soon as possible.

“As the negotiations are not yet complete the detail of the site cannot be disclosed at this stage,” said the statement from the OPW.

The matter will also be raised in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil TD, Marc MacSharry. He has tabled a parliamentary question for Minister Moran outlining how he had made a commitment in Sligo on August 21st last about the location of a new station.

“Given that more than five weeks have now elapsed where is the site for the new HQ in Sligo, has it being procured, what is the precise status of the project, the precise timelines for planning, construction and completion?” the Deputy has asked.

A threatened walkout of the building described as not fit for purpose by an independent consulting engineer was averted last year.

The report by Michael Reilly & Associates engineers, which found that the building was a fire trap, that it was a serious health and safety hazard and was too small to cater for the current workforce.

The report pointed out that the only solution was the building of a new station on a green field site but that in the short term the moving out of the Assistant Commissioner’s office to elsewhere in the town would create much badly needed extra space.

The latter is understood to be already underway with the office moving to a location in Finisklin, a move which will free up badly needed space at the Pearse Road station.

At present, anyone arrested in Sligo is brought to Ballymote Garda Station, fifteen miles away for questioning, searching or for the purpose of detaining.

This policy has also led to concerns with regard to the release from custody of those prisoners. Many are being released in the early hours of morning and Gardaí say they are under no obligation to return them to Sligo.

Local solicitor, Mr Gerard McGovern has called on Sligo Superintendent Mary Murray to change this policy warning that releasing prisoners in this fashion with no means to get home to Sligo could lead to a fatality through a fall or being struck by a car.