Clonakilty Garda Station

Clonakilty Garda Station is located on McCurtain Hill, Clonakilty.  Turn right as you are heading west through the centre of the town at Harrington’s Pharmacy.  The station is just 100 yards up the hill on the right hand side.

The station was in use as an R.I.C station in pre State times.  Clonakilty Garda station provides a 24 hour police service not only to the town itself but to satellite towns and villages, like Skibbereen, Dunmanway, Baltimore, Rosscarbery, Drinagh, Ballygurteen, and Rathbarry and also has responsibility for the Islands of Cape, Sherkin and Hare.

It provides policing cover for some 300 km of coastline and 3000 sq km of land area. The station provides administrative, operational and organisational support to the other stations in the district.

The policing services provided range from crime investigation, traffic enforcement, public order, immigration, community policing, ethnic and cultural diversity, juvenile diversion, drugs enforcement and enforcement of the licensing laws.

The Clonakilty district has a maritime focus and has been at the centre of significant drug importation investigations over the years and staff at the centre integrate well with other enforcement agencies in the interaction of drug trafficking at sea activity. Coastal Watch is a crime preventative strategy used in the district, where coastal communities integrate with An Garda Siochana in generating awareness of the need to be vigilant of suspicious activity at sea. In staying with the Maritime focus, the district personnel supports and assists rescue agencies like the Naval Service, Coast Guard, Civil Defence and Cliff rescue groups in their operations.

The main policing priorities in the district are the prevention and detection of crimes against the elderly and vulnerable. Operation “Ant” is structured to assist the district personnel in limiting the activities of “rouge traders” who exploit such persons.  Operation “Passport”, a national strategy to deal with sneak thefts of commercial premises is also fully supported. Operation “Oiche” operates to minimise the incidents of Public Disorder in the town by high visibility policing at critical locations.

Community Policing is a philosophy at the heart of all policing activities in Clonakilty.  To this end the initiatives of Neighbourhood Watch, Business Watch, Pub Watch and Community Alert are all strongly supported.