New mobile Garda station will be visiting eight Tipperary villages next week

A mini Garda station on wheels will be visiting three rural west Tipperary communities next week.

Residents of Emly, Cappawhite and Golden can visit the Garda Community Engagement Van when it parks up in their villages to get passport applications signed, renew firearms and speak to the gardaí on duty.

The mobile Garda station will visit the three villages for two hour periods between next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 12 and 13.

Its visit to the three villages is part of a four-day roadshow tour of the new Tipperary Central Area, which is an amalgamation of the former Tipperary and Thurles Garda Districts.

Garda Sgt. Raymond Moloney said the visit of the Community Engagement Van to these and other communities in Tipperary Central Area District was to facilitate people who may not be in a position to travel to a Garda Station.

He said people can visit the van to get passport application forms signed, get firearms licences renewed and to make general enquiries.

Gardaí in the Community Engagement Van will also be available to the public if they want to talk to them in confidence about any issue concerning them.

Sgt. Moloney said schools are particularly welcome to visit the van provided the number of visitors is small.

The Community Engagement Van will visit Emly on Tuesday, March 12 from 12noon to 2pm, Cappawhite on March 12 from 3pm to 5pm and Golden on Wednesday, March 13 from 12noon to 2pm.

In the north of the county, it will visit Upperchurch on March 13 from 3.30pm, Moyne on Thursday, March 14 from 12noon to 2pm; Templetuohy on March 14 from 3pm to 5pm; Borrisoleigh on Friday, March 15 from 12noon to 2pm and Loughmore on March 15 from 3pm to 5pm.

Members of Tipperary’s Joint Policing Committee were informed at their quarterly meeting last week that the Tipperary/Clare Garda Division has been allocated this single Community Engagement Van that will travel to communities throughout the division.

Tipperary/Clare Garda Chief Supt. Aileen Magner said the division was extremely lucky to be given this mobile Garda station and they wanted to make full use of it.

She pointed out the Community Engagement Van has all the ICT equipment found in bricks and mortar Garda stations.

“I want to see this up and down the length and breadth of the division being used at high profile events like matches and tourists spots but also for community groups.

Chief Supt. Magner indicated the Gardaí will facilitate requests from community groups like the local bridge group for the van to come and park up outside their meeting venue to give its members an opportunity to chat with the gardaí on duty.

“You will see this van in an area near you very soon. We are rotating it around the division. It’s a community van there for the community,” she stressed.