Laois Offaly town to relaunch Garda Text Alert service

The Laois Offaly town of Portarlington is reviving the Garda Text Alert service, after an absence of five years.

The crimefighting phone service gets up and running in early June, with an invite to new members who wish to be kept up speed on local Garda matters.  

A formal relaunch by Portarlington Community Development Association (PCDA) and Portarlington Gardaí will be held in the Credit Union offices on Wednesday, June 5 at 12 noon. 

Aidan Mullally, chair of the PCDA, told the Leinster Express / Laois Live more.

"The service became redundant around 2019. One of the main reasons was that people were finding it difficult to subscribe by paying the €10 yearly subscription at the PCDA office. 

"We now have Portarlington Credit Union on board. People can pay online on their website, or in the credit union. They don't have to be a member of the credit union. They just have to pay the subscription and give their name and phone number," he said.

The text alert is mainly for the town of Portarlington, and differs to rural text groups, in that it is not for members to circulate local texts about concerns such as missing pets.

"It's a one way alert, from An Garda Síochána to the community. We have engaged with the Community Policing section and they are helping us to reactivate it, bringing a new level of awareness to the community. Members will get any matters that are urgent Garda messages regarding crime. It is about making people more vigilant," Aidan said.

He hopes that there is a big-take up.

"The more people involved, the more benefit it is to the community. It is only as good as the information posted, so a lot of its success hinges on local Garda involvement," he said.

See Portarlington Credit Union website to subscribe to the Garda Text Alert service.