Row at council meeting while calls are made for more gardaí for north Tipperary
There was heated discussion at a council meeting in Thurles recently, not only because of garda allocations (or lack thereof), but also on the conduct of some councillors in the meeting
Five gardaí were assigned to the Tipperary district following Friday’s passing-out ceremony, with two assigned to Clonmel, two to Nenagh, and one to Tipperary Town. However, the fact that none were assigned to Thurles was cause for heated discussion at a district meeting on Monday this week.
Cllr Jim Ryan expressed concerns that Thurles was being ‘overlooked’, and demanded that councillors should write to the Minister of Justice on the matter.
He said, “I can't remember the last time a new Garda graduate has been assigned to the station. It is absolutely disgusting and I am very disappointed. We need to put pressure on.”
However, Cathaoirleach Sean Ryan interrupted the proposal as it had not been flagged with him in advance of the meeting: “There are other proposals that deserve to be written to the Minister as well.”
Cllr Peggy Ryan also took issue with the proposal asking that ‘some more thought’ be put into the letter, and that other areas like Roscrea and Templemore be included.
A follow-up proposal from Cllr Michael Smith was seconded by Cllr Peggy Ryan and asked that areas beyond Thurles be included in the letter. At the meeting, he said that a key part of democracy is that issues are raised and discussed by the council as a collective.
"I felt that councillors need to collectively come together and write instead of one councillor, out-of-nowhere, saying how disappointed he is for one area,” said Cllr Smith.
“We are a district and we have to look at it together. While we all want more resources on the ground, we want them all over.”
“The crucial thing is that Cllr Ryan made a proposal but no one seconded it, because of that it was never going to be sent. My counter proposal seemed to get universal support, there didn't seem to be any dissenting voices.”
“In the intervening period before the next meeting we will come up with a formula of words that is agreeable to everyone and then send it to the Minister and the Garda Commissioner. The Minister has no role in allocating gardaí to different towns; that is a matter for the Commissioner.”
Cllr Peggy Ryan seconded the motion as she believed a ‘more comprehensive letter’ was needed.
Speaking to the Tipperary Star after the meeting, Cllr Ryan said “We are a municipal district comprising Thurles, Templemore, Roscrea and surrounding towns as well. Normally a motion like this is flagged to the chair beforehand and has more thought attached. It needs to reflect the needs across the district in its entirety.”
She emphasised the need for the letter to be backed up with data gathered from members of the public.
She said, “We have seen the closure of smaller garda stations in the area, there is a lack of visibility of patrol units. Public meetings like the Community Safety Partnership discussion in November will allow us to hear from members of the public about how they feel.
“A letter to the Minister needs to be backed up with data if we are to ask for more guards. We should send the best possible letter we can to reflect the work that is being done here.”
PUBLIC MEETING
A workshop on public safety will be held in Moycarkey-Borris Community Centre on November 17th, between 7pm and 9pm, to hear from the public about what they need in terms of community safety, and developing “action plans” that respond to those needs.
The meeting is organised by the Tipperary Local Community Safety Partnership, a group of community representatives, and local agencies. At present the group is chaired by former TD Noel Coonan.
The Local Community Safety Partneships (LCSP) replace the Joint Policing Committee structure.
The workshop will be led by an independent consultant, and “is an opportunity for people living, working, and participating in communities across Tipperary to share their experiences, discuss community safety concerns, and help shape the future of community safety in the county.”
The feedback gathered during this consultation will feed into the development of a three-year Community Safety Plan.
The workshop is a free event, and limited to over-18s.