“People say, ‘I don’t know my local Garda anymore’ because things have changed. In the past, Gardai used to live locally but not so much now, for various reasons. A lot of people commute to work and get involved in their communities.
A Garda colleague and friend was based in rural Co. Cork with his family, and my wife and I used to make frequent visits to see him. We often talked about the contrast between policing in Dublin versus rural Ireland, and I wanted to give it a go and see what it was like for myself. I started my career in Tullamore as a Sergeant in 2008 after my wife and family moved from Dublin to the midlands.
They quickly realised in Tullamore that I had the gift of the gab, and I moved into community policing. I love it. For me, it’s about being immersed in the community, getting to know the people and allowing them to get to know you. People love to talk to Gardai, and they often need reassurance and sometimes just a bit of advice.
On my first Halloween in Tullamore, we put a few Gardai on the beat in the different estates around the town. It was a great success and even more so the following year when a few residents came out and walked the beat with us. It was an excellent opportunity to build rapport and gain the people’s trust.
I love that we are now making contacts within the community and forming relationships. By doing this, we are stopping problems before they arise, and we are in a unique position to try and do something positive.
In community policing across the country, we may all do it differently, but we all have the same goal. If there are issues, people know who to ring. We always encourage people to ring the station, but if they ring us instead, that’s ok too.
There’s a perception out there that community policing isn’t real policing, that it’s airy-fairy, but it is the way forward.
Last January, we drew up a list of rural locations in Laois /Offaly that we wanted to visit this year. We aimed to get out to the areas that had been forgotten about. We spent half a day in Pullough last Friday, and it was our busiest one yet. We had both young and old engaging with us, and Garda Lisa Touhey visited the children in the local school. I know that the kids will remember the day the Guards came to their village in the future, and that’s what it is all about”.
~ Sergeant Graham Kavanagh, Crime Prevention Officer.
The Community Policing Team in Offaly are:
Sergeant David Scahill, Garda Lisa Touhey, Garda Grace Heffernan, Garda Paul Mullen, Garda Jean Tierney, and Garda Fergus Collins.
The image was taken at Tullamore Rugby Club, Graham’s second home, which he says has become a great outlet and family to him. His son started to play, and, like many parents, Graham got involved in volunteering and coaching.