Four Garda liaisons appointed to deal with Tuam antisocial behaviour

Four Garda sergeants have been specifically appointed to help quell concerns about anti-social behaviour in estates in Tuam.

The four will provide a specific point of contact in the event of such incidents taking place in future – a move that has been welcomed by local councillors, who always maintained that the reporting of incidents to the Gardaí and Galway County Council often ‘fell between two stools’.

But Galway County Council has now confirmed that four Garda sergeants in Tuam will be the first point of contact if there are public order incidents – or reports of intimidation in estates or on the streets.

Towards the end of last year, members of Tuam Municipal Council met with local Garda chiefs to outline their concerns about anti-social behaviour in some estates.

There was a call for a Garda liaison officer to be appointed but it has now emerged that there four points of contact have been established.

The sergeants will be available to members of Tuam Municipal Council who are regularly contacted by residents when it comes to anti-social behaviour or intimidation.

It is a move that has been welcomed by Cllr Shaun Cunniffe who said have been a number of anti-social behaviour incidents in Tuam over the past four or five months.

Meanwhile, it is also claimed that a business person in the town has been threatened and even subjected to intimidation in her own home, despite making a number of complaints to this effect.

Cllr Cunniffe said that there had been a lot of confusion in relation to anti-social behaviour and what authority should complaints be reported to – and particularly in relation to incidents of intimidation in Council

He said that there were a number of serious complaints in Tuam over the past four or five months but some of these had not been logged by the Gardai or the Council.

The independent councillor said that there needed to be more clarity when it comes to incidents or complaints and who they should be reported to.

Senior Engineer Eileen Ruane told members of Tuam Municipal Council that following on from a meeting with senior Gardai, that anti-social behaviour liaison contacts had been established.

She said that she would be providing all of the councillors with the contact details for the four Garda sergeants.