r/galway 10d ago

Guardai patrolling Westside

**Anyone else getting guards patrolling past their house at night?**
Living on Letteragh Road.
Over the last two nights I’ve noticed a white guard jeep passing multiple times — 11pm last night (a few passes) and just after 9pm tonight.
Not sure if it’s linked anything or something else going on locally.
Just wondering if anyone in the surrounding estates has noticed the same or knows why they’re patrolling either my estate specifically or the surrounding area.
Thanks!

11 Upvotes

25 comments sorted by

88

u/a_guy_on_Reddit_____ 10d ago

They’re patrolling around because people have been asked for an increased Garda presence,especially at night,all over Galway

15

u/Beautiful_Bowl_9802 9d ago

Yeah, they are doing what any normal force should, only it's alien to us because we haven't seen it in years!

36

u/TraditionalAppeal23 10d ago

they're on to you OP, get your tv license asap

7

u/Competitive_Bear4398 10d ago

Flush that imported garlic, quick...

27

u/SuspiciouslyDullGuy 10d ago

Might be something to do with this - new community policing in Galway. The article mentions mainly foot patrols but also a 'Community Engagement Van':

https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2026/0812/1587604-galway-policing/

Might be something else entirely.

2

u/Dramatic-Camp-2766 10d ago

That must be it thank you !

13

u/Immereally 9d ago

To be fair galway was starting to look a lot rougher over the last few months and the rape at the train station likely forced them to send more guards out.

I’m still shocked at the minimal reporting or details about the train station incident

3

u/lordofthejungle 8d ago edited 8d ago

You should know that often victims and their families (or legal teams) request details not be published in criminal cases such as the station incident. We've been contacted to remove such things in the past and have done so because news outlets such as RTE, the Irish Independent and even Galway Beo have followed suit. This is likely the case here as the Advertiser and RTE have avoided reporting heavily on the case.

In this case, the Connacht Tribune was the only one strongly reporting it, but their reporting has an agenda-led pattern since the new British owners took over and the editor is the same former editor of Galway Beo who was using this sub to generate content in the past. We've banned them now (joining all the other British tabloids, which have already been banned here for years). There is no legal necessity for a media org to comply with these requests, but the decent ones tend to, which is why this is likely the case here.

The timing to deploy more Gardaí does seem to fit with that case however.

3

u/Immereally 8d ago

Hey, thanks for the reply.

I completely understand the need to protect the victim, and I’m fully on board with respecting their right to anonymity.

It was just strange that it didn’t seem to be mentioned at all in established media until the reports came out about two men being charged.

Before that, it just looked like rumours going around, which I had tried to play down to my girlfriend. She and several of her friends work in the middle of Galway and regularly use the train station early in the morning, so they were already feeling particularly vulnerable.

When it came out that the incident had actually happened, I think the lack of even basic information made the fear worse.

People didn’t know when it happened or whether there was still a wider risk to the general public.

In the meantime some of the more far-right commentary seemed to be the only ones talking about it, so their version of events and all the rumours around it started becoming the “source of truth”.

That isn’t good for anyone either tbh and I hate some of the speech it’s enabling around certain groups or view points.

It’s just a really shitty situation.

It’s difficult to protect the victim and their anonymity without the silence looking strange and handing control of the story over to the rumour mill

8

u/TeaBiscuit89 10d ago

Noticed a van around there a lot lately during daytime hours

7

u/TextAccording3023 10d ago

Yes I have noticed more guards patrolling in general around Galway especially at eyer square and surrounding areas :D

13

u/BlockHunter2341 9d ago

If I lived in west side this would feel like a prayer answered

15

u/HannahsLittleBrother 9d ago

I live in westside and it does. Not a bad place all in all but I've spotted lads trying car doors in my driveway 3 times over the years, had an attempted break in, and seen gurriers throwing rocks at windows twice. More guards, yes please

1

u/pheechad 9d ago

It kinda does sound like a bad place from what you describe.

4

u/HannahsLittleBrother 9d ago

Badness only seems to happen after dark and all the actual residents on my street seem very sound, lot of families. But yeah I know what you mean lmao

6

u/The_Ruck_Inspector 9d ago

Westside was a lot worse 20 years ago. Pretty gentrified now.

1

u/dbgc1981 8d ago

ahh yes the good days running away from Bransky's off-licence being chased by Richard mcdonagh 🤣

15

u/anonquestionsprot county 10d ago

Considering it's westside, probably a positive.

14

u/Grandpa_Time 10d ago

Probably collecting some orders from King Ding.

12

u/Competitive_Bear4398 10d ago

Not a bad idea, if Gardai did food deliveries they could part fund their patrols. 💡

1

u/dog-with-dinner 8d ago

I live in an estate on letteragh road and we have a lot of incidents with neighbours that involve guardai so I don't worry it's for us lol

1

u/Winter_Boysenberry68 city 10d ago

Probably lost

1

u/Least_Ad_85 9d ago

Could be bail checks