Kildare gets 13 new gardaí but reactions mixed
Newbridge Garda Station
REACTIONS were mixed from the political classes following the latest allocation of 13 new gardaí to Kildare.
Six new gardaí are being assigned to Newbridge, five to the Leixlip, and one each to Naas and Kildare Town but none to Maynooth.
The news of six new gardaí in Newbridge was welcomed including by Fianna Fáil’s Senator Fiona O’Loughlin welcomed but local councillor Chris Pender sought a guarantee that the town will see a real increase in Garda numbers rather than a reshuffle of existing staff.
“New recruits are positive, but Newbridge also needs more Gardaí with experience who can support them and strengthen local policing,” said Cllr Pender.
“What matters now is whether the town will genuinely gain six additional gardaí.
“In the past we were told we were getting four new gardaí, however five left.
“The result was fewer Gardaí on the ground, and people in Newbridge have not forgotten that.
“Announcements are easy, but extra gardaí on the ground are what count.
Senator O’Loughlin said: “This investment in our local Garda strength is crucial for community safety, supporting our local businesses, and ensuring residents feel safe and secure."
“Today is a very positive day for Newbridge and for the wider Kildare area,” she concluded.
Maynooth representative cllr Angela Feeney has criticised the fact that no new officers have been allocated to her home town station of Maynooth.
“It just beggars belief that a town the size of Maynooth has no full-time Garda station and that no new Gardai have been allocated to the station under the latest deployment. “Last year it had just 15 Gardaí assigned to it, compared with 68 in Leixlip”.
According to most recent figures published earlier this year, Naas is the biggest station in the county with 114 officers from Chief Superintendent down, Newbridge has 46, Athy 27, and Kildare town has 39. In all, nine Kildare Garda stations are manned by single figures, including both Kilcock and Monasterevin, and the total figure serving for the county is 432, down five since 2023.
