by Linda McGrory
NORTH Inishowen will have to wait for a
long-promised Garda HQ with news the existing
station in Carndonagh will instead be renovated.
Carn Garda Station on Malin Road, is to close for
three months for a major revamp including the
construction of an extension and a refit of the
internal layout.
The station will shut its doors on March 1, 2010,
while its four personnel will temporarily move to
Clonmany and Malin Garda Stations.
A Garda spokesperson yesterday said Carndonagh would
continue to be well policed from Clonmany and Malin
while the town’s Gardai would undertake regular
patrols through the area.
"Gardai from Carndonagh will operate between
Clonmany and Malin stations but Carndonagh will
still be policed by the local officers over the
course of the renovation works," said the
spokesperson.
The temporary closure of the station was revealed
last week during a sitting of Carndonagh District
Court in Buncrana. A Clonmany man was ordered to
sign on twice-a-week at his local station as part of
his bail conditions. Much to his annoyance, he had
to opt to sign at Buncrana Garda Station
twice-weekly until his next hearing because Clonmany
is only a part-time station and it was revealed that
Carndonagh station would be closing for at least 12
weeks.
There are around 11 Gardai attached to the North
Inishowen policing area of Carndonagh, Malin,
Culdaff and Clonmany. Malin has five Gardai and
Clonmany, two, while there is a sergeant and three
officers attached to Carndonagh.
Two years ago this month, it was revealed that a
site in Carndonagh had been chosen by the Office of
Public Works (OPW) for a state-of-the-art Garda
headquarters for North Inishowen. It was also
revealed that the OPW was treating the project as a
priority.
The local Garda spokesperson yesterday said that,
despite upcoming renovations on the old station, it
was still expected Carndonagh would in future become
a centre of policing for the Northern part of the
peninsula.
"It is envisaged that Carndonagh will become the
administrative centre for North Inishowen policing
and, in the long term, that will probably mean a
brand new station and better facilities," added the
spokesperson. |
