New high visibility policing strategy rolled out in Cork city
By Steven Fox
An additional 48 gardaí have been assigned to carry out patrols in Cork city centre, as part of a major new high visibility policing strategy being rolled out by An Garda Síochána.
The plan will see eleven high visibility posts and beats across the city, which will have an operating time of 8am-4am.
The posts will be filled both by probationer gardaí as well as by transfers of additional gardaí to the Cork City Division.
A total of 23 gardaí will be assigned to the operation every day – eleven during the day and 12 at night.
They will be focused on preventing public order offences, anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, aggressive begging, and shoplifting.
They will also have a pro-arrest policy for repeat offenders.
The hope is that, especially in the lead-up to Christmas, the extra gardaí will help to alleviate the safety concerns that many shoppers have about the city centre, and in doing so increase footfall for city centre businesses.
They will be given resource support by the Roads Policing Unit, and the Public Order Unit, as well as by detectives and plain-clothes gardaí.
Under the plan which was launched on Monday, community policing gardaí are also expected to set up Community Engagement Vans around Cork city, to offer crime prevention advice and support to the public.
A similar high visibility strategy was adopted in Dublin in March of this year. Speaking before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on 11 November, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said that the measures had seen a marked decrease in the targeted issues.
He said that crimes were down including “theft from a person (28%), robbery from an establishment (9%), begging (57%), and assault causing harm (17%)”.
This was coupled with an “increase in the detections of certain issues such as anti-social behaviour (up 18%), drunkenness (up 67%) and drugs for sale or supply (up 3%)”.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy extended a warm welcome to the new gardaí, and said he was “delighted to see you out on the streets, engaging in high-visibility policing and providing a real sense of safety and reassurance to the people of the city.
“When I was elected Lord Mayor in June, I mentioned how I wanted to work to make Cork the safest city possible. These gardaí will make Cork a safer city and I am delighted to have played a role in achieving this,” Lord Mayor Cllr Dennehy said.
Chief Superintendent of the Cork City Division Thomas Myers said the allocations were “an acknowledgment that Cork needed additional resources”.
“We look forward to high visibility patrols particularly in the build up to Christmas.
“We will continue to work with out key stakeholders in the City and we very much appreciate their support,” Chief Superintendent Myers added.
This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.