An event has been held to mark the official opening of the newly revamped Athlone Garda station.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister Patrick O'Donovan visited the site to officially open the new-look station.

Speaking at the opening, Minister McEntee said: "I am delighted to be here on what is a great day for this community. In recent years Athlone has steadily become an urban hub for the Midlands and seen substantial population growth. Therefore, it is important that Gardaí stationed here have access to the resources and facilities required to police the expanding townlands and rural areas.

"As Minister for Justice, supporting the work of An Garda Síochána is a priority for my Department and this year's unprecedented budget of in excess of €2 billion reflects that commitment. This budgetary allocation is enabling capital investment projects such as the Athlone station refurbishment to happen across the country and improves An Garda Síochána's ability to tackle crime by operating from modernised fit for purpose stations.

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"It is always a positive experience to see the impact that initiatives such as this have both on the local Gardaí and community."

The new station falls within the Athlone District which is comprised of Athlone Garda Station plus the sub districts of Moate, Glasson, Kilbeggan and Ballymore.

The Athlone District is currently servicing a population of 26,100 residents with the heaviest concentration of the population in Athlone town itself with a population of 21,349 (2016 census).

Located in the centre of Athlone town, the newly refurbished station is also one of the first stations to use electric vehicles for policing with six electric vehicle-charging points.

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O'Donovan added: "I am very pleased that the completed project gives Athlone and the Midlands additional policing infrastructure capacity to meet present and future demands. The Office of Public Works worked very closely with An Garda Síochána in Athlone throughout the project to ensure that they could remain operational on the site during the construction work. The reopened station has not only increased substantially in size, it has also become more accessible to the public and the combination of new and old buildings enhances and supports ongoing urban renewal in Athlone."