Maynooth's Thin Blue Line: Only 15 Gardaí For Town Of Comparable Size

The number of Gardai assigned to Maynooth Garda station have been described as "grim"

Just 15 Gardaí are assigned to the station - while Leixlip, an area of similar size, has 68.

The figures, disclosed in response to a parliamentary question by Kildare North TD Catherine Murphy, has shed light on the strikingly low number of Gardaí allocated to the area.

The station's operating hours have also been slammed by Social Democrats Local Election Candidate for Maynooth, Peter Melrose, who said it "barely operates" on a part-time basis.

The station is only open Monday and Thursday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday the station is open from 10.00am to 12.00 midday.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she understands that, at times, "these hours cannot be fulfilled due to priority calls for service".

Speaking to Kfm, Melrose said: "The opening hours that we received from Ms. McEntee show that it's barely operating on a part-time basis. And within that, there's a caveat that if Gardai are called away, then the station will be closed."

He added: "When I was down at the station about this, in the space of five minutes, there were several people present. There were students looking for their Garda I.D. There was an elderly man with his carer, and there were three other people, all looking for forms to be filled in - a a basic service that you would expect in a town the size of Maynooth."

He said there needs to be an urgent review into the the number of Gardai servicing Maynooth, adding that the opening hours need to be reviewed.  

"We need to see those numbers increase so that people in the town can feel safe and they can feel assured that the Gardai are there and that they're doing their job to their full potential - that they're being resourced to their full potential," he said.

The below shows the distribution of Garda personnel within the Kildare Division, segmented by districts and stations, along with the total count for each area.

Kildare District:

• Athy: 37
• Castledermot: 3
• Kildare Twon: 44
• Monasterevin: 5
• Newbridge: 60
• Rathangan: 2
• Total: 151

Leixlip District:

• Carbury: 5
• Celbridge: 16
• Kilcock: 6
• Leixlip: 68
• Maynooth: 15
• Total: 110

Naas District:

• Clane: 13
• Kilcullen: 9
• Naas: 141
• Robertstown: 7
• Total: 170

Kildare Division Total: 431