Local community safety forum to take place on Cork's northside this week

The next local community safety forum will be held in the Glen Resource and Sports Centre at 7pm tomorrow evening. 

This is for the Mayfield, the Glen, Ballyvolane and St Luke’s area.

Green Party councillor for Cork City North East Cllr Oliver Moran said the community forums present a great opportunity for members of the public to engage directly with city officials and the gardaí.

“The community safety forums are a great way for members of the public to engage directly with city officials and the gardaí on policing and safety issues. 

“The issues brought up can range from everyday annoyances like illegal parking to very serious issues of intimidation and anti-social behaviour,” Mr Moran said.

He said some issues raised at the forum can even be solved on the night.

“The way they operate is that if you have an issue, you can bring it directly to the forum where it might even be solved on the night, depending on its seriousness, or it remains on the agenda until it is resolved.

“In any case, there’ll be feedback straight away from the gardaí and councillors present. 

“That immediate human interaction is what makes these forums so accessible and, even if you don’t have a specific issue to bring up, just being in the room can give a great sense of what’s happening near you,” he added.

In 2006, the National Monitoring Committee, in consultation with An Garda Síochána, identified community safety as a key priority, following which Community Safety fora were established in the four Cork city RAPID areas in 2007.

The four areas are Togher, Mahon and Ballyphehane; Knocknaheeny, Hollyhill, and Churchfield; Blackpool, The Glen, and Mayfield; and Farranree, Fairhill, and Gurranabraher.