Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Justice Minister has this afternoon officially launched the new Western Region Garda Headquarters in Renmore.
Minister Charlie Flanagan was joined by the Acting Garda Commissioner and Connemara-native Dónall Ó Cualáin to cut the ribbon on the 25 million euro building.
In the past hour, the tri-colour was raised outside the building on the Dublin Road to a full performance from the Garda Band.
Garda authorities say the new 11,000 square metre development will cater for a full range of operational requirements at district, divisional and regional level.
It includes secure detention areas, incident management facilities, a unit to support victims of crime, public offices, garages and property storage facilities.
It will also house training facilities including a firing range for specialist units.
Acting Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin says the new building will centralise admin functions and lead to more efficient and visible policing across the county.