TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN reopened the Fitzgibbon Street Garda station in Dublin city this afternoon, following the stations closure over a decade ago.
The 110-year-old period building has been unoccupied since it was shuttered in 2011, but was granted funding for redevelopment in 2017 following a series of recommendations.
The station was reopened this afternoon by the Taoiseach alongside Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
The three-story, 19th century building required extensive renovations to bring it up to standard, which took four years to complete.
The renovations were completed in October 2021, with a complete reconfiguration being carried out with new internal walls, ceilings and floors.
A Garda spokesperson said that the station now has a “Crime Victim Support Suite”, the first in Ireland
“Most notably, the station now features a bespoke Crime Victim Support Suite, the first of its kind in Ireland. Its facilities include several specially designed spaces that will allow Gardaí to cater for the varied and sometimes complex needs of victims in a compassionate and dignified way,” said the spokesperson.
Among the Garda units who will operate at Fitzgibbon Street are the Divisional Protection Services Unit (DPSU), who work to support victims of domestic abuse and gender-based violence.
There are also no traditional cells in the station, with people who are arrested set to be held in nearby Mountjoy station.
Victims however, will be questioned in so-called ‘rest rooms’ in Fitzgibbon Street, which Gardaí say are more comfortable and accommodating.
The spokesperson said that the main aim of the design process was creating a “centre of community policing”.
“A ‘Community Response Team’ at the station will provide for the Garda response to issues highlighted by local residents.”
There will also be an ‘Events Office’, which will deal with concerts and GAA matches at Croke Park, which is a five minute walk from the newly reopened station.
It comes after calls were made by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to reopen the station in 2019 due to high crime rates in north inner city Dublin.
At the time, the number of offences recorded in the area was over five times the national average.
The Dublin North Central garda division had a crime rate of 2,571 offences per 10,000 population in 2019.
The inner city also had the highest rate for 11 of the 14 main crime categories, including homicide, sexual offences, assaults, drug crime and public order offences.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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