'Cannabis jellies are a serious risk to young people': New garda head in Cork to tackle drugs scourge

THE new head of policing in Cork city is pledging to tackle the “scourge of drugs” in the city.

Chief Superintendent Tom Myers replaces Barry McPolin in the role. Mr McPolin retired from the force in recent weeks, following 38 years of service.

Chief Supt Myers told The Echo: “The scourge of drugs is present in every community and Cork City is no different. I have a strong interest in the area of drugs investigation as being a former head of the drug squad in Cork and will be working to ensure An Garda Síochána in Cork City are targeting those involved at local and indeed national level in the sale and supply of drugs.”

Chief Supt Myers has serious concerns regarding the emergence of cannabis edibles.

In May, gardaí seized a quantity of drugs, including cannabis jellies, on Blarney Street.

Earlier this year, two East Cork teenagers were hospitalised and a third also fell ill after taking cannabis jellies. And in Dublin, two young children were hospitalised after eating cannabis jellies.

He says: “There have been some seizures of this type of cannabis in the Southern Region and it is undoubted they will continue to be detected. The manner in which these illegal drugs are packaged is very deceiving and would suggest to an unknowing party that the packet contains sweets. This is a serious risk to young people and children and parents need to be aware.”

Society reopening

He also said the area of society reopening following Covid-19 restrictions is an area that will be of crucial importance.

“The re-opening of society is a challenge. As people return to the bars and restaurants in numbers it is apparent our policing requirement for the city will increase. I am acutely aware of the increase in on-street drinking and the associated increase in anti-social behaviour and this is an area we must focus on going forward.”

He elaborated: “It is my intention to focus on the delivery of a policing service across Cork City which meets the needs and expectations of the people we serve. The reopening of society creates significant challenges for policing as we reengage with people embracing their newfound freedom.

“I intend to focus on increased high visibility within the city centre and indeed the surrounding communities. I am aware of the importance of people feeling safe in the city centre and recognise the presence of Garda members in high visibility uniform promotes this sense of safety.”

And he stressed: “Cork City is a safe place to live and socialise. Like any large city there are policing challenges to ensure people perceive it to be so. 

"In this regard, I am focused on the provision of high visibility policing across the city. This is something I have already commenced working on and over the bank holiday weekend a large number of additional uniform gardaí were employed to policing the streets to ensure people felt safe and that those behaving in an unacceptable way were dealt with appropriately.”

He said there are a myriad of areas of concern for policing as the country attempts to emerge from the pandemic restrictions.

“The increase in online fraud is well documented and the reporting levels of such crimes have increased exponentially. I welcome this increase in reporting as it supports a belief that people have confidence in An Garda Síochána to investigate such crimes.

“Nationally, An Garda Síochána are focused on ensuring the prevalence of this type of crime is continually highlighted through our social media and other online platforms.”

He is urging people to follow the An Garda Síochána – Cork, Kerry and Limerick Facebook page, where he says messages are regularly shared in relation to crimes such as fraud.

The page also features traffic updates and incidents of infringements of traffic legislation.

Road users

Chief Supt Myers said the traffic area is another important area for gardaí. He said: “The loss of life on our roads is an ever-present concern and I am acutely aware of the efforts of my Roads Policing Unit in supporting our organisational drive to reduce road deaths. I recognise the increased loss of life on our roads involving vulnerable groups and this is an area I intend to focus on for the remainder of this year.”

He is urging people, especially vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, to wear high visibility clothing, walk or cycle in well-lit areas and wear lights as appropriate.

He adds: 

“Overall I would remind all road users of the importance of monitoring their own behaviour while using our roads as it is only when we all work collaboratively that we can truly keep people safe on our roads.”

In recent weeks, there have been several thefts from vehicles across Cork city and county. The Echo reported last week of one case where €1,500 in cash was stolen from one car in the city, while there were incidents in recent weeks of tools worth €2,500 being stolen from a van.

According to garda statistics, 37% of all thefts from vehicles occur in residential locations. More than half of such incidents occur between 12 midnight and 7am, while driveways are the most common place for these thefts.

However, 63% of such thefts occur away from non-residential locations, such as amenity areas, streets and car parks.

In such incidents, more than half are parked on streets, while 37% are in car parks, according to garda analysis of such crimes.

Chief Supt Myers singles this area out as one which will be targeted with a view to reducing. He believes the help of the public is a key factor in helping to tackle this crime.

He said: “I would make an appeal to vehicle owners to ensure they keep them locked and secure at all times. Analysis of such crimes not only in the Cork City Division but across the Southern Region, suggests approximately 50% of vehicles which are broken into are unlocked.

“I know from investigations conducted to date that the vast majority of these crimes are opportunistic in nature and in many cases, locked vehicles are attempted and then bypassed when the culprit discovers they are locked. This is an important message.”

Previous appointments

On his appointment to head up policing in Cork city, Chief Supt Myers said he is delighted to be returning to the city in which he was born and reared.

“I am a proud Cork man, born and bred in the northside of the city. I am married with three children. My earlier education was in the North Monastery. In 1984 I applied for and was successful in my application to join An Garda Síochána.”

He said he has enjoyed a wide variety of policing roles since he joined, including terms in Cork city as Superintendent for the Mayfield and Anglesea Street districts, before his promotion to the chief superintendent rank in 2016.

He also served across the country. He recalled: “I have served in many parts of the country at various ranks including Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry. I have held the rank of Chief Superintendent for the past five years and served as Chief Superintendent in Kerry, Cork North and now Cork City.”