Letter to the Editor - Hysteria on crime
Garda Chief Superintendent for Laois and Offaly, John Scanlon
Dear Editor, I WISH to commend Superintendent John Scanlon on his recent comments at the Joint Policing Committee.
I WISH to commend Superintendent John Scanlon on his recent comments at the Joint Policing Committee. Superintendent Scanlon fact-based response to the comments of Mountmellick Town Councillors was not only timely but refreshing. It was particularly welcome when taken in light of the panic-inducing, hyperbolic statements by a number of town councillors at a previous meeting. Councillors should be reminded that in their efforts to be seen as responsive and “tough on crime”, their comments can over step the mark and cause further fear in the very people they purport to represent.
The fact that councillors have been informed by some constituents of about anti-social behaviour (a very real problem in many communities around the country) does not equate to some sort of crime wave in what Superintendent Scanlon, rightly, described as a “fine, peaceful town.” From the point of view of engaged democratic debate it is truly depressing to hear politicians from divergent political parties speaking in concerto without a proper analysis of the subject of which they speak.
Finally, I would respectfully suggest to some of the councillors that they review their own parties positions on the down-sizing of the Gardai and the closure of Garda stations before grand-standing on the issue of crime prevention.
Darren Broomfield BSocSc MSocSc NQSW
PhD Candidate
School of Social Justice,
UCD
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Weather for Portlaoise
Wednesday 19 June 2013
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
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