This article is from page 6 of the 2009-04-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE Mayor of Clare has said it is imperative that the Criminal Justice Surveillance Bill be quickly imple- mented in an effort to bring crimi- nals to justice.
Councillor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn (FG) was speaking as she launched the International Police Association (IPA) annual conference in Ennisty- mon at the weekend, which was at- tended by the Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.
Police from Luxembourg, Poland, USA and the UK attended the two- day conference, which is one of the major events of the IPA (Irish sec- tion).
She spoke of the importance of the police force in the community and said the new bill — the details of which were announced by the Gov- ernment last week — would provide much assistance to gardai.
She said that the community has a crucial role to play in the detection and prevention of crime.
‘The co-operation of the public re- lating to crime is essential for crime detection and prevention. We cannot afford to remove ourselves when we have knowledge or sightings of acts or behaviour that could be helpful to police investigations.
“Democracy is based on_ the strength of the security of our citi- zens. The public and gardai are in- terdependent. We are secure because of their presence and they can only
be as effective as the public enable them to be,” she said.
She said the IPA should be com- mended for the work it carries out at local, national and international levels.
“The building of transnational rela- tionships between current and retired members of police forces across the world greatly assists and enhances the work of Interpol and other inter- national police organisations. It also serves to assist the members’ under- standing of other cultures, traditions
and police practices in the many na- tions represented,’ she said.
Retired Garda Sergeant and presi- dent of the IPA (Irish section), Billy Saunderson said the conference pre- sented members with the opportunity to discuss matters of mutual personal and professional concern.
Mr Saunderson, who was based in Ennistymon for a number of years, said members of the IPA have the op- portunity to avail of support during difficult times.
‘There are many benefits for retired
and serving members of An Garda Siochana in joining the organisation. Members are provided with immedi- ate support at times of crisis while at home or abroad. The children of members engage in international cultural gatherings and exchanges, and members engage in fundraising for local and community causes,” he said.