Minutes:
Receive Presentation from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
Councillor Enda McGloin welcomed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to the meeting and extended an invitation to him to visit Leitrim when the current Covid restrictions are lifted.
Commissioner Drew Harris thanked Cllr Enda McGloin for his warm welcome. He delivered a presentation as set out in Appendix 1 to the Minutes of this meeting on the new operating model being introduced by An Garda Siochana as part of the transformation programme for a better policing service. Commissioner Harris said this model is based on internal and external input to An Garda Síochána and it is a community focused local police service to keep people safe and to protect the vulnerable.
Councillor Enda McGloin thanked Commissioner Drew Harris for his presentation and invited questions from the Members.
Janice Raine Conick asked what the rationale was in choosing the Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim Divisional Headquarters in Letterkenny and how are the new Garda divisions going to work together and co-ordinate their policing work and will there be sufficient resources available in each division.
It was agreed Councillor Sean McGowan’s question as submitted under item 4(viii) on the agenda would be taken at this point.
Would the Garda Commissioner reconsider the decision to locate the Garda Divisional Headquarters in Letterkenny? Manorhamilton would be a more central location for the Headquarters for the division that covers the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal as it is situated right in the heart of the region.
In response to Janice Raine Conick and Cllr Sean McGowan‘s questions Garda Commissioner Drew Harris outlined that the Divisional Headquarters in Letterkenny will have a focus on the entire division and its location will not impact local policing matters. Having the divisional headquarters located in Letterkenny does not mean that all personnel will be centralised in the headquarters. He stated that large office accommodation, such as is currently available in Letterkenny is required for the divisional headquarters and this space is not currently available in Manorhamilton and would require significant investment to locate it there.
Superintendents, Inspectors, Sergeants and their teams will be geographically dispersed throughout the Regions and Divisions. 4 functional areas will be at separate locations with a Divisional Officer based in Letterkenny providing oversight & governance.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said there will be sufficient Garda resource available in the Region, the new structure will facilitate specialised garda resources which can be moved throughout the Region as the need arises.
Commissioner Harris said every effort will be made to minimise disruption to Garda members and staff throughout the implementation process. The new operating model will have a reduction in administrative activities and paper-based processes and increased capacity of divisional members and staff, enabling them to focus on frontline and operational policing. Commissioner Harris said the Operating Model places a renewed emphasis on proactive community policing at a local level.
Councillor Enda Stenson paid tribute to the work of the Gardaí and added that there is a real need for extra Gardai presence on the ground in our local towns to combat drug abuse and it is important the Gardai have a local knowledge of towns.
Councillor Justin Warnock queried how many Gardai, on an annual basis, need to be recruited to fill vacancies arising from retirements etc and to maintain staffing levels. Councillor Warnock said the problem of drugs wasn’t just seen in parts of South Leitrim and they can be found everywhere and sought confirmation as to when we can get this problem under control.
Deputy Martin Kenny said Community Policing is very important. He added that it is very important for the sale of drugs is combated and he highlighted the regions’ large geographical area and a sparse population and added that gardai need to be assigned to local communities and understand local issues. He added that any recruitment or additional resources is welcome and should targeted at rural areas.
It was agreed Councillor Sean McGowan’s question as submitted under agenda item 4(vii) would be taken at this point.
What is the possibility of re-opening the Garda Stations in the towns of Mohill, Ballinamore and Drumshanbo on a 24-hour basis so as the Gardai can deal with law and other matters, anti-social behaviour and drug related situations that arise? Doing so would give reassurance to the public that the Gardai are able to respond quickly when they are needed.
In response to these questions Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the Sligo/Leitrim/ Donegal Division has been approved for a Community Engagement Superintendent which are responsible for proactive community engagement, volume crime, victim support and general operational policing. Commissioner Harris said there is a need to recruit an additional between 750-800 gardai into the service and he acknowledged that there is a high training overhead. He acknowledged that the Covid pandemic has had an impact on Garda Resources and there has been 6 months without any training and it is hoped to catch up on student training this year. Garda Commissioner Harris informed the JPC that €40 million worth of illegal drugs has been seized already this year with €22 million seized in cash from organised crimes groups. This seized money goes back into the community to provide community services.
Garda Commissioner Harris acknowledged and recognised the problems associated with drugs and noted the pandemic has seen an increase in drugs use. Garda Commissioner Harris said An Garda Siochana can’t bring drugs under control through enforcement alone and the public has to play their part by knowing the impact of drugs, by being aware of the violence and intimidation that comes as a result of drug production including the trafficking of workers for drug houses and also being aware of the ecological impacts of drugs in other countries like Columbia. Garda Commissioner Harris said the drugs trade is tied into organised criminal behaviours and has moral and ecological impacts for society. He continued that no group or class in our society is immune from its affects and the efforts of the gardai must be right across the country and in this regard, resources are being allocated to combat the problem.
Chief Superintendent Glacken gave an update on the drug searches, amounts of drugs and money seized and grow houses found in Leitrim. He informed the members that five criminal gangs have been identified in profiling criminals and their assets in the Sligo/Leitrim area. He appealed to the public to come forward with information that they may have in relation to this crime and not to be intimidated.
Chief Superintendent Glacken outlined that Mohill Garda Station is a 24-hour station with 24 hour patrols carried out and he advised that 2 new gardai have been assigned to Mohill Garda station giving greater visibility in the area. The Community Engagement Unit is available in Drumshanbo and both Drumshanbo and Ballinamore gardai are supported by units from Carrick-on-Shannon and 24-hour patrols are carried out in both areas. The Garda response is provided 24/7 and has a strong focus on the vulnerable in our society.
Minister Frank Feighan said that as part of the National Drug Strategy a Health Screening Pilot scheme is developed, giving Gardai discretion to divert first time offenders found in possession of drugs into alternate programmes rather just solely through the courts.
Councillor Thomas Mulligan welcomed the additional resources to Mohill Garda Station and sought an opportunity for local groups meet with the Sergeant regularly to keep up to date and improve service generally from a Garda point of view.
Chief Superintendent Glacken thanked Councillor Thomas Mulligan for his comments in regard to information sharing and said A/Superintendent Curley will be inviting local groups to information sharing events which will take place over the next 2 to 3 months.
It was agreed Bernie McGuaran’s question as submitted under agenda item 4(vii) would be taken at this point.
Would the Garda Commissioner consider making a recommendation to the Department of Justice to have all border crossings covered by Community CCTV systems? This would greatly assist in the solving of many crimes in the border region. A pilot scheme was presented to the previous Minister for Justice by Manorhamilton Enterprise Forum but did not come under any particular funding scheme.
Garda Commissioner Harris noted the proximity to the border, and he said Digital Recording Bill which is currently being developed will address this issue. He acknowledged that high quality CCTV is currently available and this new legislation when implemented will enable that An Garda Siochana pick up information from privately held CCTV as well as give a legislative basis for the use of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Body Worn Cameras (BWC).
Councillor Enda McGloin thanked Garda Commissioner Drew Harris for his attendance at the meeting.