'Insulting': Only one of nearly 200 new gardaí assigned to Cork city

Just one of nearly 200 newly attested gardaí will be stationed in Cork city, while more than 140 have been allocated to Dublin, in a move described as “insulting” by a Cork TD.

Last Friday, some 193 gardaí were attested as sworn members of An Garda Síochána during a ceremony in Templemore, Co Tipperary.

The newly sworn‑in gardaí will now take up operational duties and are being allocated across the force, with 141 assigned to the Dublin region, 27 to the Eastern region, 14 to the Southern region, and 11 to the North Western region.

Of the 14 recruits assigned to the Southern region, two will be based in Cork — one at Anglesea Street Garda Station in the city centre and one in Midleton.

A Garda spokesperson said: “The allocation of probationer gardaí is initially to training Garda stations and allows for consequential inter-divisional transfers of other members.” 

It follows a large allocation to Cork following an attestation ceremony last November, which saw 23 gardaí assigned to a high‑visibility policing plan for the city centre.

While businesses in the area have since said the streets feel significantly safer, the initiative has also been linked to reported increases in public drug use in some suburban areas, as people struggling with addiction have been reportedly pushed out of the city centre.

Gardaí told The Echo last week that they have introduced a “proportionate policing operation” in the Turner’s Cross and Ballyphehane areas, with calls from public representatives for further garda presence in these areas.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire told The Echo: “One garda for Cork city is absolutely shocking, and a massive departure from what Garda leadership seemed to commit to.

“We have a situation in parts of the south inner city — Turner's Cross, Barrack St, and Douglas St — of open drug dealing, we have stations across Cork that are way behind what they were 10 years ago.

“The big injection [of gardaí] last year was meant to be part of a recognition of the fact that Cork had been left behind, and was not getting a fair share. I think people will be profoundly disappointed.

“I welcome the huge difference a visible garda presence in the city centre has had, but the gardaí should be getting resources to roll out that high visibility in the north and south inner city. One garda, in that context, is rather insulting from national Garda leadership.” 

Speaking at the attestation ceremony, Garda commissioner Justin Kelly said they are seeing positive results from the high-visibility policing model in Dublin city and suburbs as well as Cork and Limerick cities, “and we will continue to expand it further”.

He said: “We have the EU presidency in the second half of this year and most of the events for the EU presidency are going to be in Dublin. So we've had to put extra people into Dublin.

“Obviously, the EU presidency will be finished at the end of the year, and with allocations towards the end of the year, we'll certainly see more people going to rural areas.” 

According to the European Commission: “Many presidency‑related events will take place in Dublin, with venues such as Dublin Castle, Farmleigh House, and Government Buildings expected to play central roles. Cork and other towns across the country will also host key events.”