Cassells calls for Meath Garda HQ

Calls for the creation of a Garda Divisional HQ building for County Meath were made in the Dáil last Thursday night during a heated debate in which local TD Shane Cassells said investment in policing in Meath needed to happen as a matter of urgency.

The Meath West TD called on the Minister for Justice to fund the construction of a purpose built divisional headquarters for the county which would allow all units of the force such as the drugs unit, crime scene division and traffic corps operate from one base.
At the moment these various units are split between bases in Navan, Slane and Dunshaughlin. Deputy Cassells made the point that Meath was the only county in the country without a Garda Divisional HQ building and he reacted angrily to a memo circulated in the Dáil during the debate where Garda authorities had stated there was a divisional HQ in Navan.
The Fianna Fáil TD pointed out that at the Joint Policing Committee held last Monday in Navan the Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy had organised for members to go to Wexford to see how they had a €30m divisional HQ for their staff. 

“The force in other parts of the country operate from purpose built facilities while plain clothes detectives in Meath are operating out of prefabs out the back of Navan Garda station,” slammed Deputy Cassells. 
“Even when the guards apprehend the criminals there is nowhere to put them because there are only four cells in the main station in Navan. They’d be full before midnight on a Saturday night”, stated Cassells in the debate.
He said it was laughable for Garda management to claim Meath was properly resourced.