Roscrea and Nenagh Gardaí roll out new Community Beats initiative

Gardaí in Roscrea and Nenagh plan to roll out a new initiative aimed at improving links between the local Gardaí and the community and increasing their visible presence as they patrol the streets on foot and in high visibility Garda vehicles.

Roscrea is part of the Nenagh Garda District and both Garda Stations will launch the new County Beats Initiative 2022 on this Friday (May 20).

Garda Inspector Ailish Myles told the Midland Tribune that local foot patrols have historically been a central feature of policing as a preventative measure, which relied on a high visibility approach.

The new Community Beats initiative encourages local Gardaí to embrace short beat patrols in "high density areas", such as public parks and amenities, schools, retail areas, town centre spaces, residential estates and villages within the District.

"We understand that there is a public desire for more visible and accessible policing and this is a measure to meet that demand. These beat patrols will allow accessibility to members of An Garda Siochana normally only experienced in first responder situations or exclusively as witnesses to confrontational situations", Inspector Myles explained.

"Foot patrol is intimately associated, with community policing and can be referred to reassurance policing or citizen-focused policing.

"The initiative is about strengthening a community-based style and hopefully over the summer we will get a sense of the public perceptions and feedback on its rollout. Where a beat is taking place the public are encouraged to approach our Gardaí if they have a concern or a problem or indeed just for a chat.

"Therefore, it is hoped that increases in foot patrols will be more responsive to the local communities and matters are addressed at ground level in the first instance. The use of pedal cycle patrols will also be part of the initiative. We are working towards a Multi-agency (Tipp Co Co lead partner) approach to a wide variety of issues that are emerging and highlighted through our community safety and JPC meetings", Inspector Myles said.

Contacting and Evaluating

The District Headquarters in Nenagh Office will be used as a point of contact for suitable enquiries which will be relayed to the relevant area and the Gardaí encourage local community groups to reach out and arrange a visit (local community group, men’s shed, nursing homes, school, business etc.) by emailing Nenagh.DS@garda.ie and referencing Community Beats 2022.

The initiative will roll out every Friday alternating between route 1 (Southern Part of District) and Route 2 (Northern Part of the District). Additional resources are allocated each week whose primary roll is interaction with the public locally and they will not be redeployed to daily calls unless of critical nature.

The Gardaí have identified four distinct beat patrol models they plan to follow:

The Community engagement model, which emphasises community responsiveness both during and prior to the intervention. The Citizen Contact model is supplemented by visits to residences and businesses.

The Garda deterrent model is based on showing a presence and enforcing the law while the familiarity model, involving foot patrol and other duties by patrol officers, leads to members of the public getting to know local Gardaí.

The Gardaí also plan to deploy their Garda Van, which will add an additional element of visibility.

This will be a valuable resource and an alternative means of delivering accessible policing in the district through the dissemination information (leaflets, Flyers). The concept will see additional resources deployed to travel the county one day a week for community policing functions.

You can also contact your local Garda Station for helpful advice on any of the following matters: Crime Prevention Advice- Documentation – School Visits- Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour- Signposting - Vulnerability Identification- A Listening Ear - Property Marking