Views must be listened to

It is a common fault of which we are all guilty in voicing our criticism of the our public services and by implication, those who provide those services.

With some it is a constant barrage of abuse, and even for the more considered amongst us, we do not always need an excuse or an incident involving ourselves, to voice our censure.

Not surprisingly the HSE, it’s political leaders and administrators, account for a lot of the abuse that we hear, with no allowance ever made for the pressure under which front line staff in our hospitals are working.

Next in line for our ire are those charged with finding accommodation for the homeless, but here again no regard is given to the fact that no country can meet the needs of a growing population by providing homes on demand, given the cost of building and the length of time it takes to build new homes.

There are however, instances where we do get things right, and into that category must come the recent development of establishing a Joint Policing Committee (JPC) comprised of officials, politicians, and members of an Garda who meet regularly and hold public meetings such as one held last month in Blackrock.

At that meeting a wide range of issues were raised, such as the growing concern about the drugs problem and the intimidation to which parents of drug users are subjected.

At the meeting the Gardai were able to reveal the steps that they are taking to counter the drugs problem and there was valuable advice and assistance offered to families who are subjected to the frightening problem of intimidation to meet drug debts of family members.

Just as important as the advice given to families was the opportunity provided by these public meetings of the (JPC) for parents and siblings to talk about the problems they were encountering on their doorsteps and in their homes, for it is only by working together, families, police and agencies can we ever hope to contain the epidemic in out midst.

Drugs were not the only issue raised at the meeting of the JPC, for there was also concern raised about the manning levels in some rural Garda stations, particularly Blackrock, which has now a bigger population than Ardee, yet has to cope with four Garda, one of whom is just an acting sergeant, because of the failure to replace a sergeant earlier this year.

Failure to do so, or increase the numbers of Gardai serving in the village, is an indictment of those responsible and the fact that the concerns of the public on these matters can be aired in public was useful.

The meeting also concerned itself with a variety of traffic problems in Dundalk, such as the need for a ban on heavy traffic using Maxwell’s Row, the constant complaints about illegal parking in the vicinity of Oriel Park on match nights, the annoying and dangerous habit of cyclists cycling on footpaths when cycle lanes are available, and a number of bottlenecks that clog up the traffic flow in town.

The hope is that when members of the general public and local public representatives go along to these meetings and express their views on the issues that are raised that their voices are listened to.

Indeed where a sensible view is offered, and one that could alleviate a problem, it should not be ignored just because it comes from an ordinary member of the public and not an official or a well paid consultant.

We all can learn from each other, and we could all learn to be a little more tolerant of each others views, and not rush to judgment on the quality of our public services and those who administer them.