The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has welcomed the launch of a permanent High Visibility Policing Plan increasing the visible policing presence in Galway City from today (Wednesday, 12 August 2026).
Gardaí from Galway Garda Station and Salthill/Bóthar na Trá Garda Station will conduct
dedicated High Visibility Patrols (HVPs) on a daily basis across seven identified patrol areas.Between 8:00am and 4:00am each day, up to 13 Garda members will be specifically assigned to these patrols.
Minister O’Callaghan said:
“Since becoming Minister for Justice, I have made it my first priority to get more Gardaí on our streets. High Visibility Policing in our communities and cities prevents and detects crime and ensures that people are safe and feel safe. People want to see Gardaí on the streets and that is what we are doing. These dedicated High Visibility Patrols in Galway City and Salthill will provide a stronger Garda presence in areas where people live, work, socialise and conduct business. I also want to commend the Garda Commissioner in his actions to make this a reality.
“This initiative builds on the success of similar deployments introduced in Dublin in 2025 and subsequently expanded to Cork, Limerick, Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire. The enhanced patrols in Dublin coincided with a reduction in crime and provided reassurance to local communities, businesses and visitors. I look forward to seeing a similar positive impact in Galway.”
The patrol locations have been selected following a detailed analysis of calls for service, crime trends, and feedback received from local communities and businesses.
The enhanced Garda presence in Galway City Centre and Salthill will support a proactive and robust policing approach to public order offences, anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, aggressive begging, and shoplifting. A strong enforcement strategy will be adopted for repeat offenders, including a pro-arrest policy and firm bail objections where appropriate.
The Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources so that Galway City and Salthill remain safe and welcoming places to live, work, visit, and socialise. Gardaí will continue to work closely with community, voluntary, and statutory partners to promote public safety and strengthen collaborative crime prevention efforts.
The introduction of these High Visibility Patrols follows the assignment of 28 additional Garda members to the Galway Division through transfers and the allocation of probationer Gardaí.
Continued strong recruitment to An Garda Síochána, including the attestation of 206 new Garda members in July 2026, has enabled transfers of Gardaí with operational experience who were stationed elsewhere in the country.
Minister O’Callaghan continued:
“The rollout of High Visibility Patrols in Galway demonstrates the Government’s and An Garda Síochána’s shared commitment to ensuring our towns and cities remain safe, welcoming and vibrant places for everyone. By targeting resources where they are most needed, based on crime trends, operational analysis and community feedback, Gardaí can continue to deliver a visible and proactive policing service.
“The allocation of 28 additional Garda members to the Galway Division has helped make this enhanced policing presence possible, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these patrols will have for residents, businesses and visitors alike. As Garda recruitment continues to grow, we will support the further expansion of these successful initiatives in communities across the country.”
Community Policing Gardaí will also deploy the Garda Community Engagement Van to locations around Galway City to support public engagement and offer crime prevention advice to members of the public, residents and the business community.
Community Policing Units will remain in place and will continue to support public engagement and offer crime prevention advice to members of the public, residents and the business community.
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