A new garda communication control centre for the Dublin Metropolitan Region has been officially opened today.
The €40 million state-of-the art premises, which will house the operations of garda calltakers and dispatchers, is based at the National Train Control Centre in Heuston Station.
The Regional Control Room is one of four communication centres operated by An Garda Síochána on a 24/7 basis in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford.
It is from these control rooms that trained garda personnel answer 999 or 112 emergency calls from members of the public.
The DMR centre was relocated last November from the former Harcourt Square Garda Complex to a high-spec and modern space in the NTCC at Heuston Station.
The facility, which is described as the nerve centre to Garda operations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region is comprised of a staff of 100 Garda members and Garda staff.
The Dublin control room answers and dispatches resources to around 800 to 1,000 999 calls every day and around 39,000 per month.
They include alarm system alerts and calls through agencies, such as Dublin Fire Brigade and the Ambulance Service.
Gardaí will co-occupy the building with other agencies including Irish Rail, Dublin Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and Dublin City Council.
It has been funded by the National Transport Authority under the National Development Plan.
The new facility was opened this morning by the Minister for Justice Simon Harris, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Chief Executive of Irish Rail Jim Meade.
Minister Harris said he would like to see more gardaí deployed in and around public transport hubs.
He said how the Garda Commissioner divides garda resources is a matter for him.
However, Minister Harris said as a public representative and as the Minister for Justice he knows that "often people flag that feeling of not being safe on public transport".
"Therefore, I do want to see as garda numbers grow, the ability for the Commissioner to increase the visibility of gardaí in and around public transport hubs."
Minister Harris said he does not "fixate on what you call different things, what I do fixate on is wanting to see a greater visibility of gardaí on our streets, on our public transport networks, around our stations and that is really key I think to making sure that people are both safe and indeed feel safe".
He said he wants to grow the number of people working in An Garda Síochána so that the Garda Commissioner has the ability to employ more people, right across the country and particularly in relation to public transport.
Meanwhile, the Garda Commissioner said the location of other agencies in the National Train Control Centre will "foster greater communication and collaboration".
Drew Harris said what is unique about this particular regional garda control room "is that we'll be joined in the building by other agencies and organisations".
"Dublin City Council will host their control rooms here in time but we're also very pleased to join in with the Irish Rail operations control room and their emergency Strategic Command Centre.
"The move will provide for more efficient delivery of service and greater agency cooperation, particularly in the area of major event management and major emergency response, but also in respect of our day-to-day responsibilities in terms of supporting the public transport network throughout Dublin."
Commissioner Harris said "ultimately it is about providing a better service to the public, more responsive, more effective and more efficient".
Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O'Donovan said that this is a "building of the future, from co-locating important emergency services in the capital to showcasing the very best in sustainable design, energy optimisation, smart technology in use throughout and even green energy generation on site".
