City streets to see an increase in Gardaí as part of Christmas policing plan

More Gardaí will be on the beat in Cork city centre over the coming weeks to ensure it is as “safe and as user friendly” as possible over the Christmas period. 

Superintendent John Deasy yesterday told a meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee (JPC) that an increased amount of personnel would be patrolling the city centre as part of Gardaí's city centre policing plan for Christmas. 

“In relation to our operation for policing in the city centre, particularly, we have dedicated people assigned every day from 10am to 8pm in high visibility policing of the city centre.

“We also have a covert unit that’ll deal with street drug activity and shoplifting and will interact with the crime prevention officer in relation to issues that are arising.

“We also have to be conscious of the night-time economy for the month of December and we will have additional personnel on duty, starting again from this evening, so that we’re catering for the increased numbers of Christmas parties or people who are in the city that may not normally be in the city,” he said.

Supt Deasy was transferred in recent months from Togher to Anglesea Street Garda Station, with responsibility for the Cork City Centre Community Engagement Functional Area.

“We have a 24-hour policing response but we’re augmenting that with specific personnel to deal with what we would call Christmas issues — which would be shoplifting increases, begging, public order [offences], some drug dealing and drug taking in the city centre — to make the city as safe and as user friendly as we possibly can,” said Supt Deasy.

Concerns regarding shoplifting, in particular, have recently been raised by traders in the city.

Speaking to The Echo last week, Cork Business Association president Kevin Herlihy, who co-owns a number of Centra stores in Cork, said the local business community is heavily affected by shoplifting incidents at this time of year.

Mr Herlihy said he is losing €100 worth of stock a week in each of his stores due to relentless alcohol thefts.

He added that high-end stores offering luxury products have also taken a considerable hit this year.

At the JPC meeting yesterday, Supt Deasy also spoke about the Christmas policing plan in place for Mahon Point.

“We also have an operation in relation to Mahon Point and that will be both within the shopping centre itself and also a traffic management plan on specific days that have been identified by the operators of Mahon Point just to assist the traffic management there at the bridge,” said Supt Deasy.

“We found that if we can get that bridge running and keep the junction clear, it certainly assists in the people coming and going in Mahon.

“Also, there’s an increase in the lanes coming out of Mahon now which should again assist.”