Launch of crime alerts via text message
The system, the brainchild of community liaison garda Noel Fitzgerald, follows on from a successful ‘Business Watch’ scheme he started in the Little Island area of Co Cork.
Gardaí are preparing to launch the text-messaging service in the greater Glanmire area and a series of meetings have been held to explain its purpose. A co-ordinator has been appointed to compile a database of hundreds of vetted mobile phone users who will then be issued with text alerts.
Garda Fitzgerald said that, for example, details of vehicles used in robberies would be circulated to those on the list as quickly as possible, so they could help gardaí track movements of suspected criminals. He emphasised that the public would be told only to observe and not to tackle the occupants.
“We have a 20,000 population in the area and we’re hoping as many people as possible will sign up to the system. It has massive potential. We could have thousands of eyes out there which would greatly aid gardaí in apprehending criminals,” he said.
Information will also be routinely texted about crime prevention and personal safety measures.
Gardaí organised the Business Watch scheme with Glounthaune-based community group Timebank, and it has a databank of 360 mobile phone numbers for local businesses, especially in the industrialised Little Island area.
Louise Opperman, who acts as co-ordinator, gets information on crimes from the gardaí and sends out almost instantaneous text messages appealing for help from those on the database. She said the scheme had worked well and extending it to neighbourhood watch schemes “is a very good idea”.
Cllr John Gilroy, who will co-ordinate the greater Glanmire area project, said two residents’ group meetings had been held at which people had signed up after being showed a presentation on how the system would work.
“We will have nine area meetings and each area to be signed up will have approximately 300 houses in it. If you go by the feedback we’ve received already it will be a resounding success,” Mr Gilroy said.
“We hope to have the system fully operational in seven weeks.”
