Number of Garda Sergeants in Ballymun Halved Despite Gangland Feud Threat

On foot of Assistant Garda Commissioner Pat Leahy’s warning of a “significant feud” in Ballymun, TD for the area Róisín Shortall has hit out at the shocking drop in the number of Gardaí stationed in Ballymun. Figures released to Deputy Shortall have revealed the number of sergeants in the area has been halved, from 24 at the end of 2010, to just 12.

Deputy Shortall said; “over the past year we’ve seen a huge increase in crime in Ballymun. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear a report of a burglary, drug dealing, or serious anti-social behaviour. On top of this, the Gardaí today announced over 500 people in Dublin have been warned their lives are in danger from criminals. These threats are often as a result of three significant gangland feuds in Dublin, one of which is centred around Ballymun.

Since August there has been three murders linked to this feud, and the fact is many local people don’t feel the Gardaí can keep them safe anymore.  These figures show that there just isn’t an adequate police presence to tackle these issues.”

Deputy Shortall continued, “if the loss of half the Garda sergeants in Ballymun wasn’t bad enough, the figures also show that there has been an overall drop of 16% in the total number of Gardaí in the Ballymun Station since 2010.”

“Most of the Gardaí we’ve lost are in the lower grades that people would normally meet on a day to day basis. These are the sort of Gardaí that are vital to building trust in a community, but how can they make a real impact when their numbers are spread so thin? I’ll be raising this with the Minister for Justice and pushing for the Gardaí numbers to be restored.”

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Notes to Editor:
Table of Garda numbers in the Ballymun station by grade from December 2010 to February 2018.