EAST MEATH
‘Community Policing Unit badly needed in district’ - Cllr Tolan
THE CHIEF Supt of the Meath Division of An Garda Siochana is to be asked to implement a Community Policing Plan for the Laytown Garda District and its environs as a matter of urgency.
A series of violent incidents in East Meath has prompted the call from Cllr Sharon Tolan who raised the matter at a recent council meeting in Duleek.
‘It made national headlines when two young boys were attacked in Gormanston. It is a very worrying situation and to see armed units in areas is disappointing for the county,’ she stated.
She urged the Chief Supt to bring in a community unit to prevent scenes like this again.
Cllr Eimear Ferguson agreed, adding that the Gormanston incident had ‘escalated at Halloween’ and following it there were a lot of gardai around.
Cllr Wayne Harding said there was ‘real concern and upset’ in the area and ‘anything that can be done should be done.’
The failure of the government to recruit new gardai for years has led to the problems, Cllr Sharon Keogan remarked, stating that Laytown (pictured) should be open 24 hours a day, but the manpower wasn’t there.
‘We have gardai to assist with this and we don’t want vigilantism. The text alert works well here,’ she explained.
Cllr Tom Kelly felt the gardai were active on the matter and he didn’t see how opening the barracks for 24 hours would help. ‘ They are out and about,’ he remarked.
The merging of the Meath district did nothing for the area, Cllr Stephen McKee explained. he said he wanted the East Meath garda district restored as the area was too big to police.
Paddy Meade agreed that a policing plan was required.