Commissioner invited to Mayo to discuss policing plan

COMMISSIONER Drew Harris has been invited to attend a meeting of the Mayo Joint Policing Committee (JPC) to discuss the new garda organisational plan.

Under the plan, Mayo will join with Roscommon and Longford to create a new garda division.

The division will have one chief superintendent, four superintendents and 'probably' 16 inspectors, Superintendent Joe McKenna told the JPC in a joint briefing with Superintendent Joe Doherty on the plan.

No decision has yet been made on where the division's HQ will be based.

Community policing is a key element of the plan, getting gardaí out on the front line.

Mayo has been a pilot for the plan, and some changes were rolled out in the county last February. Supt. Doherty said two sergeants and 10 gardaí had been allocated to dedicated community policy units. In his own district – Ballina – this has proved hugely positive and was 'the way forward'.

More garda staff have also been introduced, meaning gardaí who were behind desks in uniform are now out on the streets.

Noting the key theme was community engagement, which is 'crucial' and is what policing should be based on, Deputy Dara Calleary proposed the JPC ask Commissioner Harris to attend a meeting to discuss the plan.

They were, he said, being asked to move management to a regional level, like the theory presented when centralising the HSE.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne was concerned about the basis of the rationalisation. “It is always about budgets and costs,” he said.

Look at the HSE, he said. Did they think it would be different with the gardaí.

He welcomed community policing, which they could see was working, but it could work within the system we have, he pointed out.