Laois text alert charges may be paid by Government

A Laois Joint Policing Committee meeting was told the cost of community text alert groups could soon be covered by the government.

The issue arose when Muintir na Tire’s Conor O’Leary explained the impact Covid had on such groups at a meeting on Monday. 

He expressed concern about the “huge drop off” in meetings during the pandemic when people were reluctant to congregate. Mr O’Leary said there was need for support to get the groups back to where they were pre pandemic.

Chief Supt John Scanlan said: “There is almost a hundred of them across the two counties here. The numbers have increased. We are conscious of getting them back in meetings again.”

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He noted that “there is a review of how we are doing text alerts and I think hopefully into the future the Government  may take up the culture of paying for the costs of text alert, so that may put a new dynamic into that.”