MORE VISIBILITY of Gardaí is needed on the streets of Shannon.
An Garda Síochána have been requested to attend a future meeting of the Shannon Municipal District as proposed by Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF).
She felt the need for a discussion with Gardaí was necessary to see “how we can have more visibility in our streets, particularly in light of (the) recent spate of car thefts and criminal damage in Shannon”.
Cllr McGettigan said during her time as Cathaoirleach of the Shannon MD she was meeting with Sergeant Seamus Mulligan on a regular basis. “I hate to be negative, I’m the type of person who always tries to find the positives but a small amount of people are causing issues in Shannon and the Gardaí are getting the blame for it because there’s no visibility on the street. You need to be able to go to your place of work safely, we want to work with them”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr David Griffin (FF) referred to “high profile robberies” in the area and maintained, “visibility would give confidence”.
Garda representatives coming before the Shannon MD are worthwhile engagements, Cllr John Crowe (FG) stated. “It is always very helpful when An Garda Síochána do come in, it is very important that they come in to us a couple of times of year”.
“All crimes must be reported,” said Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) when pointing out how the public an assist the Gardaí.
Acting senior executive officer in the Shannon MD, Anne Griffin said they have “a close and proactive working relationship” with Gardaí in Shannon. She outlined, “from a strategic perspective the establishment at county level of local community safety partnerships will bring all the relevant state services including social services and An Garda Síochána and the community together at local authority level”.
This Local Community Safety Partnership is to replace the Joint Policing Committee by creating “a more holistic forum for discussion and decisions on community priorities”. She explained, “each partnership will have the ability to consider the local landscape as it relates to the county and address local issues through the community and voluntary sector, service providers and other stakeholders represented on the Local Community Safety Partnership.
There will be a maximum of thirty members sitting on the Local Community Safety Partnership, Ms Griffin confirmed. This will include residents, county councillors, business and education representatives, community representatives including those from youth, new communities and the voluntary sector plus service providers such as Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána, Tusla and the HSE.
