Garda Station - Wexford

timmywex

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1217/1229035813571.html

MINISTER FOR Justice Dermot Ahern has confirmed that instead of providing funding for a new Wexford Garda station, remedial works are being planned for an old building which houses the existing station.

Gardaí who complain that the existing station is too small believe they are likely to remain at the old station on Roche’s Road, even though the site for a new station has been purchased at Roxborough on the outskirts of the town last year.

The Minister confirmed that the remedial works would be going ahead in an answer to a parliamentary question put to him by Wexford TD Brendan Howlin.

“I’m really, really angry about it now,” said Mr Howlin, who feels that the gardaí, and people of Wexford, have “been sent around the mulberry bush for years now”.

The Labour TD said the Minister’s answer “set alarm bells ringing” and confirmed that there are “no immediate or medium-term plans to build the new Garda station”.

He hit out at then minister for justice Michael McDowell standing in the field at Roxborough prior to last year’s election, heralding the imminent construction of the new Wexford Garda station, and said it was akin to former minister for the environment Ray Burke planting trees in a west Dublin housing estate before a byelection only to have them removed afterwards.

Chief Supt John Roche also highlighted the lack of accommodation for his staff, as well as for the public and prisoners. He confirmed that he and his colleagues will be in their Roche’s Road base longer than he had originally thought they would be.

“We’re still on a priority list, but I don’t think anyone on that priority list will be going anywhere now that the board of works has had its funding cut,” said Chief Supt Roche.

“The only thing in our favour is that we have a site bought and no one has skipped ahead of us on the list,” he added.

Chief Supt Roche said the remedial works approved for the station comprise office accommodation at the back. He said it will consist of “semi-permanent” accommodation, which is of a better standard than portakabins.

He added that they are “very stuck for space” at Wexford Garda station, which is the Divisional HQ and houses about 116 officers.

“It has outlived its usefulness, the working conditions are very confined and if it wasn’t for our excellent cleaning staff and the members themselves we’d be in dire straits,” Chief Supt Roche added.



I dont know if anyone here has ever been to the station in wexford, but it would be almost impossible to to any work on the place. 116 officers, a station designed for less than 50. It has 2 cells, imagine working with 2 cells for a big town for the weekend, not forgetting anyone arrested at rosslare europort is brought to wexford(normally drugs, upto 7 days). From the station everything operates from juvenile liason, ddu, drugs squad etc etc, toilets are out of order because they have become filing rooms, traffic are out of portocabins, all the garda cars cant even fit into the car park normally, no room for seized cars. Drusg squad dont actually have an office, detective office houses 8 in 2 desks, corridors are impassible sometimes with files.

Its actualy crazy, and to have the site purchased but not doing anything but 'works' is bad form aswell, its gotten to a stage that the kitchen is used as more of an office than a kitchen! Sure thats this great governement i suppose!

CLADA

Thats a joke, there's not room to swing a cat in the back yard of the station, and I'm sure the residents of Clifford street will love to see two storey prefabs outside their front door.

Where's Roxborough? I thought the new site was on the rosslare road, do they mean Rocklands?

timmywex

Same place, roxborough is a townlands name for the area afaik


In the current economic times, i can see why everything wanted cant go ahead, but surely a new station to replace such a ****ey one would be priority over buying top of the range cars(while i agree with this also), atm, morale must be low, and its near on impossible to arrest for public disorder or the like because there's no room!

I think the ags budget has to be prioritised a bit better, its useless atm

deadwood

timmywex wrote: »

moral must be low,

We've done some questionable things in our day alright.

yayamark

Just shows the respect the the Government has for the Garda Force.

You wouldnt have this in any other Govt Sector.

Henry St in Limerick is heading the same way.

deadwood

yayamark wrote: »

You wouldnt have this in any other Govt Sector

You're being a bit harsh, there.
The poor T.D.'s have to cope with the potential of melted chocolate in their €1million glass shop!

FGR

Wexford Garda Station is absolutely abysmal. What they put up with there is beyond a joke. It's so bad that even the Super and District Inspector have to work out of two very small rooms that you could hardly call offices.

Parking is non existant..and members often worry about the safety of leaving their cars on the road outside of the station.

Interview rooms are far away, bathrooms are problematic; DDU and Traffic appear to not have anywhere to work from and the JLO gets a tiny space in a prefab out the back.

I've worked in various parts of the public service prior to joining the job and I can easily say that AGS have the poorest accomodation. I'm pretty sure HSA and fire officers would condemn Wexford station if it were used for any purpose other than policing.

civdef

Funnily enough, Garda stations are one of the few buiding types the fire service has no jurisdiction over in relation to fire safety.

Tango Alpha 51

yayamark wrote: »

You wouldnt have this in any other Govt Sector.

Trust me, the HSE National Ambulance Service is just as bad. There is ambulance stations up & down the country that are inhospitable & you wouldn't put your own enemy in.

eroo

yayamark wrote: »

Henry St in Limerick is heading the same way.

That place is a joke and has been for ages! I suppose the plan to relocate it somewhere on Lower Henry St. is gone? Mayorstone being closed to public after 6 is ridiculous too.

yayamark

buzzman wrote: »

Trust me, the HSE National Ambulance Service is just as bad. There is ambulance stations up & down the country that are inhospitable & you wouldn't put your own enemy in.

Not saying your wrong but you obivously havent been in the Limerick one.

eroo wrote: »

That place is a joke and has been for ages! I suppose the plan to relocate it somewhere on Lower Henry St. is gone? Mayorstone being closed to public after 6 is ridiculous too.

Everything is on hold

eroo

yayamark wrote: »

Everything is on hold

Somehow, I'm not surprised!!

Tango Alpha 51

yayamark wrote: »

Not saying your wrong but you obivously havent been in the Limerick one.

Yaya,
I have been in the Limerick one. Two toilets for over 40 staff. No decent locker space. The shower is located in the mens toilet so if someone is using the toilet you can't have a shower. No washing facilities etc. Place only got a lick of paint two years ago & badly needs to be done again :mad:. Bits & pieces of the signage missing off the front of the building. Overgrown areas out the back. Lack of outside lighting which contributes to a serious health & safety issue.

yayamark

I rest my case ye have it cushy compared to us so.

Ah no seriously

Ive been there a couple of times and saw about 5 or 6 people there only all very relaxed nice tv room and dining facilities.

Nice cup of tea too.;)

Eru

civdef wrote: »

Funnily enough, Garda stations are one of the few buiding types the fire service has no jurisdiction over in relation to fire safety.

You sure? I thought under the new health and safety act that Garda buildings were not exempt. I know our place has been examined a few times by various people. (were getting a new kitchen roof and a fire escape)

deadwood

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

(were getting a new kitchen roof and a fire escape)

Leave the cooking to someone else Karl!

FGR

I hope the GRA or Review will counter act all of the PR that will come with Kevin St and release plenty of pictures of Wexford Garda Station to counter it all.

Seems only fair, IMO.

Eru

deadwood wrote: »

Leave the cooking to someone else Karl!

The missue objects to being dragged into work with me, something about being busy cleaning the house and shoping aka watching neighbours. :P