‘We need more Gardaí in the county as soon as possible’ – plea from Mayo to Commissioner
Councillors have agreed to call on Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly to attend the February meeting of Mayo County Council to address concerns over Garda numbers in the county.
The motion was tabled by Cllr Michael Loftus, who is calling for the Mayo Division of the Gardaí to be reinstated, and for the county to have its own Chief Superintendent.
Currently, Ursula Hussey is the Superintendent responsible for the Mayo, Roscommon and Longford Garda Division. She is located at Ballina Garda Station.
Cllr Loftus also questioned why none of the 194 graduates from intake 251 were assigned to Mayo, Roscommon or Longford, describing the situation as demoralising for both Garda members in the division and for the public.
“You look at Granard to Blacksod; it is 245km. This is one of the biggest divisions. We are looking for our own division where Mayo would have its own Chief Superintendent to deal with issues in relation to it,” he said at the meeting.
The Fianna Fáil councillor added that he frequently hears concerns from fellow councillors about crime in Mayo, whether drug-related, road offences or other forms of crime.
“We need more Gardaí in the county as soon as possible,” he urged.
“When you see 194 Guards coming out of Templemore and not one coming to these three counties - it is absolutely disgraceful.”
Cllr Loftus also criticised the allocation of 87 graduates from intake 251 to the Dublin Metropolitan Division and 36 to the Cork City Division.
“This is typical, everything goes to Dublin, everything goes to Cork. Yet we didn’t even get one,” he said.
Of 17 Garda reserves who graduated as part of intake 250, one was assigned to Castlebar Garda Station.
As of November 30, 2025, there were 582 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Mayo, Roscommon and Longford Division, with 311 of those based across the five stations in Mayo.
Of the Gardaí stationed in the county, 113 are assigned to the Claremorris, 69 to Castlebar and 65 to Ballina.
The Westport area is covered by 39 Gardaí, and 25 are assigned to the Belmullet district.
Cllr Loftus said that if Mayo were its own division with a dedicated Chief Superintendent, that officer would then be able to advocate for more Gardaí to be assigned to the county.
“Everyone here knows that there are issues in our communities. We want Guards living in our communities to help resolve those issues,” he said.
“It’s a no-brainer. If we don’t shout about it, and if we don’t look for it - we’re not going to get it. As is obvious from other things we are not getting in this county that we should be - the west of Ireland is being forgotten,” he warned.
The motion was immediately seconded by Cllr Peter Flynn and agreed by the chamber.
Cllr Patsy O’Brein added that inviting Mr Kelly to the next council meeting was ideal timing, particularly with the recent establishment of the Local Community Safety Partnership, which is due to hold its first meeting at the end of this month.
“This should be the first port of call. It’s a disgrace that we don’t have our own Chief Superintendent in this area,” he said.
The Local Community Safety Partnership is part of a new Government initiative that will see 36 partnerships established across Ireland.
In Mayo, it will bring together members of the community, local councillors, statutory services, and the voluntary sector to help improve safety and wellbeing across the county.
Under the regulations for Local Community Safety Partnerships, four public sector bodies must be represented: the local authority, An Garda Síochána, the HSE, and Tusla.
The Mayo Local Community Safety Partnership must meet at least once per quarter, but it may hold meetings as often as needed to carry out its work effectively.
It must also hold at least one closed meeting each year for elected representatives, as well as one open public meeting.
The group is tasked with developing a Community Safety Plan that will address the needs of the local community. The plan will outline any actions needed to improve safety and provide a framework for holding local services accountable for the implementation of the plan.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.