This article is from page 29 of the 2007-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
THE newly-appointed head of the Ennistymon Garda District is to meet with publicans in north Clare, in an effort to stamp out public disor- der in tourist towns during the sum- nerosupesleyelaeny
Carlow native Noel Clarke has suc- ceeded Eamon Dolan as Ennistymon Superintendent.
This is his first job in rural polic- ing, having been based in Dublin throughout his career in the force. He spent the past 11 years working in the Crime and Security section of Garda Headquarters. Prior to that, he worked in the Central Detective Unit and also worked 1n Coolock and Dalkey.
Public order issues emerge in re-
sorts like Lahinch and Miltown Mal- bay during the summer and the new Supt is acutely aware of this.
“We are not against people enjoying themselves but they have to respect the views of others. It is my intention Komp Oe leroy SUNOM Ab O1B OCS ucEaWLeler FIN (OO Ts and proprietors of licensed premises and discuss how we work together on reducing the problems of public order. It will be all of us working to- gether, not them and us,” he said.
“Our job is to prevent it and when we detect it, we bring it to the courts. The courts here and Judge Mangan have taken a strong line and we real- ise that. That is encouraging and that is what people want and expect. We don’t have a major public order prob- lem, but we have public order issues. Publicans have a responsibility and
we have a responsibility. It is a part- nership approach,” he said.
He is satisfied that sufficient re- sources are at his disposal, to deal with any issues that may emerge.
“We review policing on a weekly and monthly basis,” he said.
The new Supt is also mindful of the fact that many suicides have taken place in the Cliffs of Moher over the years.
“We have to be prepared for those issues. We will police it and we will deal with everything that comes along. If somebody decides to com- mit suicide, we are there on behalf of the Coroner to meet with the vari- ous agencies and we will put those in contact with the deceased rela- tives. There is very little we can do to prevent that type of action. They
are high profiled and get a lot of pub- licity and are tragedies for families. We have to deal with it as sensitively as we can,” he said.
He is keen to ensure gardai in his district continue to maintain a good relationship with the public. “The most important thing here is cus- tomer satisfaction and public confi- dence,’ he said.
Supt Clarke is one of a number of changes to garda management in Clare, in recent months. Chief Supt Gerry Mahon, Supt John Scanlan (Ennis) and Supt Declan Brogan (Kilrush) have all taken up their posts since the start of the year. He has worked with all of them previ- ously. “It is not as if I am a stranger coming to work with strangers,” he said.