Laois is a good place, says police chief

Garda Chief Superintendent John Scanlan has said Laois is one of the better places to live in the country in relation to crime. 

“I think it should be said from the rooftops. Laois is a good place and a decent place with a lot of decent people," said Chief Supt Scanlan. 

"Those who make mistakes and fall foul of the law, they are everywhere but not in any greater volume, in fact a lot less volume then you would find in big urban centres,” he told the last Laois Joint Policing Committee meeting.  

Cllr Thomasina Connell commended the gardai and, in particular, the work of the community policing unit. “Laois continues to be one of the safer places in Ireland to be located,” she noted. 

“Sometimes we see public commentary, the place is gone wild and so forth. Nothing could be further from the truth… in terms of criminality, one of the better places in the country at the moment,” said Chief Supt Scanlan.  

“We have more guards than we have ever had before in the rural stations now. We have dispersed some of our garda staff who work from more or less all of the rural garda stations we have here in Laois. There is lights on and there is generally people at home at the moment,” Chief Supt Scanlan added.