Mayor of Limerick part-funded garda overtime at Christmas 2024
First citizen had invited gardai to apply to him for funding of van
MAYOR John Moran has revealed he part-funded overtime payments to ensure there were more officers on the eat during Christmas 2024.
On top of this, the first citizen added he offered to fund a new garda community engagement van to serve Limerick.
In the last year, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of garda officers patrolling the city centre streets, with many retailers hailing a drop in incidents of petty crime.
These were complemented by a community engagement van, which set up shop in a number of prime locations, including the junction of Thomas Street and O’Connell Street. Mayor Moran revealed that following talks with Chief Supt Derek Smart, he was willing to give money from his devolved fund for a permanent one of these.
Taking up the story, he explained how initially the van was shared with another garda division and that this was restricting the gardai in Limerick from using it more widely.
The executive mayor said he offered to provide funds for a new community engagement van – but this ended up being unnecessary as garda headquarters stepped in to provide a permanent vehicle for Limerick.