New Nenagh garda chief outlines the challenges he faces in his district

Anti-social behaviour, drugs, reassuring rural communities that the gardaí are there and tackling road traffic offences are among the challenges Supt Ollie Baker says he faces in the Nenagh Garda District.

“The priority is people’s ability to live in peace wherever they are living and that their privacy and peace is not being upended by others. I suppose a catch-all phrase would be anti-social behaviour. That is something that really does interfere with your own privacy,” he says in an interview in this week's Tipperary Star.

He describes tackling it as a real challenge because from time to time incidents flare up and then they are tackled and go away and flare up again.

“It’s a real source of annoyance and discomfort for the people living in these areas. We have to respond. There is a younger population in urban areas - Roscrea and Nenagh - that are - I won’t say they are the source of all this – but really kind of hanging around towns and it doesn’t always have to be in a bad way but the perception is there,” says Supt Baker.

Another challenge is the whole issue of drugs and drug consumption, the sale and supply of drugs, people driving while under the influence of drugs, or involving themselves in disputes with people over drug-related intimidation.

“That sort of feeds back into the whole anti-social behaviour element. There’s a connection between all of those societal problems and every now and again they can be like a blister that is weeping and that’s how they come out. It’s a real challenge and the real challenge is for the people who are suffering at the hands of these behaviours.”

Supt Baker also highlights reminding people in rural areas that there are gardaí on duty 24/7 and they have a connection to the gardaí.

These people are often living in fear of travelling criminals, and, he says, there is an element of that coming into the winter months and dark evenings.

“It’s a challenge for us to make sure people feel safe and that they have confidence that the gardaí are patrolling those roads during the hours of darkness,” he says.

Another challenge is keeping our roads safe.

“Any fatal accident is one too many. I have called to too many houses too many times telling people their loved ones were not coming home. They are not nice events, so prevention is better than the cure,” he says.

To tackle this, Supt Baker points to having an active force targeting lifesaver offences with high visibility checkpoints and policing to make sure it is not ok to be speeding, using your phone or driving under an intoxicant.

There is also a challenge of making sure the gardaí have a visible presence.

“Any community wants to see boots on the ground, the garda on the beat, they want to stop and talk. I will certainly be encouraging all the staff here to get out and meet the people and get accustomed to the people they are serving, build acquaintances and get out of the car,” he says.

Supt Baker points to having gardaí in the District trained on mountain bikes, and “we want to see more lads out on mountain bikes”.

However, he admits there are struggles within the organisation.

“I am working under constraints within the District. It’s getting as much bang for the buck as I can while also attending to the needs of the other elements of our job. But one of the things you would like to see everyday is someone in yellow jackets with boots on the ground engaging with people in the towns,” he says.

Read the full interview with Supt Ollie Baker in this week's Tipperary Star.