A NEW Garda campaign in Limerick to combat anti-social behaviour has visible policing at its core, according to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Drew Harris visited Limerick this past week to formally unveil the new body cameras to be worn by over 100 Gardaí across Limerick, and told this newspaper that the force’s new initiative is all about having a visible Garda presence on the streets to allay fears in the general public amid rising anti-social behaviour.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Commissioner Harris said that while it takes time to see the impact of new policing strategies, the new clampdown on anti-social behaviour was spurred on by concerns from people in Limerick City.
While Commissioner Harris said that Gardaí “do want to make an impact around the anti-social behaviour” he acknowledged that “it always takes a bit of time just to flush through just what the evaluation of the analysis of it would be”.
“What I would say is that we responded to a community concern with people concerned around what they’re describing as anti-social behaviour, including low level criminality,” Commissioner Harris said.
“These are things that really impact on people’s feeling of safety. And we want to make a difference there. So part of this is not just about our detections and numbers, it’s actually also about the perception as well.”
Commissioner Harris said An Garda Síochána is “very mindful of that (perception), and we’re mindful of the visibility, but we’re also very mindful that tools like body worn cameras also make a difference in that as well.”
As part of the new initiative targeting anti-social behaviour, Gardaí are focussing on aggressive begging, which forms part of the strategy around attaining exclusion or anti-social behaviour orders.
Obtaining such orders involves bringing an application before the District Court once breaches have occurred and evidence gathered by Gardaí and targeted arrest operations for repeat offenders.
Also under the new campaign, more Gardaí have been assigned to patrol the city streets, with overtime hours increased and supervisors having been tasked with going on the beat during peak times.
Four additional community Gardaí were also assigned to Henry Street Garda Station in recent weeks, increasing the number of community officers from eight to 12.
Commissioner Harris believes that “the addition of our community policing vehicle – the van that people will have seen around the city here – and the visible presence of members of An Garda Síochána makes a difference in terms of just lowering the temperature perhaps in a certain area, or allaying individuals’ concerns or their fears”.
“We’re all about that. We’re all about visibility, and we’re all about responding to public concern,” Commissioner Harris concluded.
