Policing forum chair lashes absentees
The new chair of the County Galway Joint Policing Committee has said the forum is not being treated with the respect it deserves, after fewer than half of its members turned up for a meeting this week.
Councillor Pete Roche, who took the chair at Monday’s meeting, said he was very disappointed with the turnout considering the meetings only happen once every quarter.
He said he had never seen some Oireachtas members on the JPC membership list at a meeting , and suggested they were avoiding the forum.
“It’s unfortunate the meetings are being treated in such a haphazard way. We have no Oireachtas members, not for the first time. I’m looking at a long list of membership of this forum, and we have less than half the complement.
“If we are serious about the policing business in the county, that involves many things including anti-dumping, community policing, community alert, CCTV, all focussing on improving policing, to think that a forum which only meets once every quarter is not being treated with the respect it deserves, is disappointing,” said Cllr Roche.
He said the meeting was attended by Chief Superintendent Tom Curley, Supt Ernie White, Supt Sean Glynn and Sergeant Peter Conlon, whom he was absolutely sure could be very busy in their offices.
“It’s disrespectful to them that we don’t show in sufficient numbers,” he said.
Cllr Roche asked Director of Services Michael Owens to look at the membership list and at some people who never attended a meeting and that they be substituted.
He said that Oireachtas members were on the JPC membership list for a reason – so that issues could be placed on the “conveyor belt” to Government departments.
“I’m talking about Oireachtas members. I would like them to be here. If they’re getting this message that I’m accusing them of avoiding meetings, then so be it. They’re on this list for a reason, and some of them I’ve never seen,” said Cllr Roche.
Outgoing Chairman Malachy Noone said that Monday’s meeting had been changed from its original date, and there were apologies sent in by Oireachtas members and from other councillors, and this should be taken into account.
But he added it was also disrespectful that the meeting was almost half an hour late in starting, and that people just came in and walked out in the meantime.