Community group continue to have concerns over policing in Dundalk

Garda Tony Golden

The Cooley Peninsula Community Alert Group has said senior gardaí are still not being listened to or their concerns acted on in relation to policing of the Dundalk district, despite the death of Garda Tony Golden.

Garda Golden was shot dead while on duty in Omeath on Sunday October 11th

Two years previously he had been working with the peninsula-based community group to highlight shortcomings of Garda resources in the immediate area and had compiled a dossier for the then Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter. The Cooley Peninsula Community Alert Group released this document at the weekend.

Now in a letter sent to Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan, the group said that the fact they have been asked to advocate for resources shows a “failure of the Commissioner’s Office and the Minister of Justice to adequately protect their Gardaí.”

The group also says that garda numbers have “significantly” fallen below 13,000, despite an aspiration from the then minister for it not to be breached.

The group says despite recent recruitment announcements they have had no detail on “what that will likely mean to the overall numbers of gardaí serving, given their demographics and again a target number for adequate policing.”

The group urges the commissioner to “start speaking out for the safety of 12,000+ gardaí and the communities they operate” in order to avoid the deaths of any more gardaí.

The also ask that the commissioner “address and correct the antiquated system” that means gardaí have to go to community groups to have their fears addressed and so that senior gardaí will “no longer have their concerns ignored.”

Chairperson of the Cooley Peninsula Alert Group, Johnny Larkin, said the lack of garda resources was not just an issue for Louth but for the whole country.

Referring to the dossier compiled by Garda Golden he said Garda Golden informed the group of depleting numbers of gardaí.

He said the group met Minister Shatter in April 2014 following the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe. Minister Shatter said at the time he could not see Garda figures falling below 13,000.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme Mr Larkin said this number has now fallen and new Gardaí are only replacing those who retire.

Bishop warns of possible prostitution “scourge” in Dundalk

Bishop John McAreavey

A leading bishop in the Catholic Church fears border towns such as Dundalk could be at risk of a prostitution “scourge” unless the Government bring laws in the South into line with those in the North.

Bishop of Dromore John McAreavey has warned that failure to do so would result in major problems for border towns such as Dundalk, Monaghan and Letterkenny.

“What you will find is that people who want to access prostitution could do it legally in the South but not in the North,” he told The Irish Catholic.

Calling on the Government to “prioritise” the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015, Dr McAreavey said “it would be terrific thing if the whole island had similar legislation in relation to prostitution and human trafficking”.

The bishop pointed to the fact that the proposals in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015, introduced by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, mirrored the approach adopted in Northern Ireland and other jurisdictions.

Acknowledging that there was a “strong political will to get this Bill onto the statue books”, Dr McAreavey warned that “with the Government coming towards the end of its life span, of course, there would be a temptation to drop it”.

However, the bishop said that he believes “the minister is very committed to it and most of the parties in the Dáil are in support of it.”

He said: “I think there is a strong political will to get this bill onto the statue books and I think it would be a really positive thing for the whole island,” he said.

Dr McAreavey also warned that there was a “lack of public awareness” about the issue of human trafficking in Ireland.

“There is an assumption that it is an issue somewhere else. It’s insidious and obviously fiercely abusive of people who don’t have too many choices and don’t have much protection,” he said.

Garda Tony Golden was “one of life’s gentlemen”

4,000 Gardaí line the streets of Blackrock as part of the funeral cortege. Picture: Niall Carroll

Garda Tony Golden was described as “one of life’s gentlemen” at his State funeral in Oliver Plunkett Church today.
Thousands gathered in the seaside village, including an estimate 4,000 Garda colleagues, to pay their respects to the father of three, who was the 88^th member of the force to be killed in the line of duty when he was shot dead in Omeath in Sunday.

The church was reserved for family members and official dignatories, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and the chief constable of the PSNI George Hamilton.

Chief celebrant Fr Padraig Keenan, parish priest of Blackrock and Haggardstown, told mourners it was difficult to imagine the grief caused by Garda Golden’s death.

“One cannot imagine the pain and hurt that is experienced by the loss of those who loved Garda Tony,” Fr Keenan said.

“Tony quietly let his light shine in so many ways through his life in a very humble way. Amidst our sadness may we be thankful for the charisma of his beautiful but too short life.”

A Ballina Stephanites GAA club jersey and hurley and family photographs were brought to the altar in memory of Garda Golden. A garda colleague, Kevin Cleary, presented some of Garda Golden’s favourite hobbies and snacks – a remote control, a can of Coke, crisps, ‘Drifter’ bar of chocolate and Hunky Dorys.

Father Keenan said news of Garda Golden’s death had shattered Co Louth and beyond on Sunday evening.

“In the stillness of a beautiful Sunday evening, last Sunday, we shared as a nation in the joy of a momentous sporting moment on the playing field of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,” he said.

“That stillness was shattered in the picturesque village of Omeath as it became the centre of national and international coverage in light of the tragic events that unfolded.

“The magnitude of what took place brings to mind all those who have been affected in so many ways.

“Tragically it resulted in the cold blooded murder of Garda Tony Golden in the line of duty.  Murder is evil, murder has no place in our society.  Murder must stop.  All forms of violence must stop.

“We remember in our thoughts and prayers the young woman Siobhan who is seriously injured.

“Garda Tony is the 88th member of An Garda Síochána who has died protecting our country, our society and our community.

“It is 88 members too many.

“He like all the others is mourned by the entire nation.

“His murder brings to mind once again all the families and communities that have been affected on our island.”

Mourners heard how North Louth has been affected by the Troubles in years gone by and how Garda Golden’s death was a harsh reminder of the death of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan in January 2013.

“Too many hearts have been broken, and lives shattered,” Fr Keenan told the church.

“I say on this day, from the depths of my heart – and I am sure I speak for all people of goodwill – when I say that there is no place for violence in our society, violence is wrong, always wrong.

“As a husband, father, son, brother family member and friend, each and every one of his family circle expressed such love and pride for Tony.

“Tony was one of life’s gentlemen.  As Patrick his brother said to me, “A big gentle giant”, a lovely man.

“He had a charisma that was calm, gentle and polite, as reflected in our second reading.

“Tony showed us a way to love that is better than anything else in life.  Tony with Nicola believed in life, a life that gave them hope in the spirit of love.

“Tony made his time on this earth beautiful in so many ways, and in one’s brokenness, they will be the memories to be always treasured and cherished forever.”

He assured the congregation that Tony’s spirit would be with his three children as they grow up.

Gardaí had earlier escored Tony’s remains from his house in Sandygrove to the church, with thousands of his colleagues lining the way to the church.

Large screens were erected in Blackrock so mourners could watch the funeral proceedings, with RTÉ providing a live audio broadcast on their website.

Tony is survived by his wife Nicola (nee O’Sullivan), children Lucy, Alex and Andrew, parents Breege and David, brothers David, Kenneth, Patrick and Sean, sister Mary, parents-in-law Tony and Iris, sisters-in-law Majella, Laura, Aisling and Tara, brother-in-law Jonathan, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, relatives, friends and colleagues in An Garda Síochána.

Earlier, former Justice Minister and local TD Dermot Ahern described Blackrock as “shattered” by the tragedy.

“I’m a member of this community, born and bred, and we’re absolutely shattered,” he said.

“Tony’s wife is a local here; I know her and I know her parents very well. I knew Tony. And the whole place is just completely shattered with what’s happened.”

Burial will follow the funeral in Heynestown Cemetery.

Louth named Ireland’s speeding blackspot

Louth has emerged as the country’s speeding blackspot, with 95% of all motorists nationally who were driving over the limit in 120km/h zones over a four-year period detected in the county.

According to figures provided by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, the Wee County accounted for 95% of all motorists nationwide caught speeding in a zone with a limit of 120km/h between November 2010 and February 2014.

In data supplied to Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan, Minister Fitzgerald confirmed that Louth recorded a whopping 7,077 detections out of a nationwide figure of 9,482.

The next highest was Dublin (790), Longford (872) and Kildare (261).

Cork has the highest number of detections (16,280) in zones with 100km/h limit, followed by Wicklow (11,991) and Meath (10,597), Clare (7,207) and Dublin (5,272).

Dublin is the most ticketed area in the country for speeding, with 172,309 tickets for speeding in a 60km/h zone and 143,344 in a 50km/h zone.

The next nearest county for the issue of fines in a 60km/h zone is Limerick at 15,876 and Cork in a 50km/h zone with 37,066.

The detections were made by the 50-strong Go Safe vans and the gardaí’s own eight Gatso vans over the period.

The Go Safe vans, which do not patrol motorways for speeding, have produced €18.9m in revenues from fines and the minister said that the income “is retained and offset against the cost of the safety camera contract”.

The Go Safe consortium secured the €80m Garda contract in 2009 and was recording operating profits of around €50,000 per week in 2012.

However, the consortium has since put its profits off limits by re-registering as an unlimited company where it is no longer required to file annual accounts.

The firm’s operation has come under scrutiny in recent months, with district court judges in Clare and Monaghan throwing out en masse Go Safe speeding prosecutions.

AA director of corporate affairs, Conor Faughnan, said: “The bar stool view is the speeding van system is all a racket, but we have done systematic research to find that this is not the case.”

He said: “As far as we are concerned, Go Safe is performing very, very well and it does save lives. Go Safe is supported by around 80% of Irish motorists who believe that the system does make Irish roads safer, but you have a cohort of 10% or 12% who think differently.”

Mr Faughnan said that the figures relating to Louth “don’t indicate that local driver behaviour is bad, but that Louth may be a victim of geography with two major roads, the M1 and M3 going through it.”

Source: Irish Examiner

Local motorists to lose out if penalty points system is overhauled

85% of motorists in Dundalk and Drogheda never actually received their penalty points

Local motorists could be the biggest losers if the government proceeds with plans to overhaul the penalty point regime.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter said yesterday that an action plan, agreed with the Garda Commissioner, had been drawn up and agreed upon.

If penalty points are more strictly enforced then local motorists will take the biggest hit, having avoided the most points and fines in the country in recent years.

In the Drogheda and Dundalk District Court area, only 15% of licence numbers were recorded, meaning the remaining 85% on whom penalty points were imposed never incurred them in real terms.

This compares with 60% in the Dublin Metropolitan Region and was, understandably, the lowest in the country.

Nationally some €7.5m in fines revenue was also foregone when court summonses that should have called motorists to court to pay the financial penalty and incur the points never reached the motorists in question.