Louth communities ‘devastated by gangland, rural and drug crime’

By Olivia Ryan, The Drogheda Independent

A “shift in gangland, rural and drug crime” across Louth must be met with action” according to one Louth TD.

Deputy Paula Butterly welcomed the news this week that Local Community Safety Partnerships are to be launched across the country, including one new LCSP for Louth.

It will replace the former Joint Policing Committee, wound up in 2024 following recommendations that multi-agency structures are put in place to bring together key stakeholders including An Gardai Siochana, local residents, businesses, state agencies and community groups.

The Fine Gael TD said she had “consistently called for a Community Safety Partnership because the challenges our communities face cannot be solved in isolation. Only by coming together—sharing information, coordinating responses, and working strategically can we create lasting change.”

She added: “In recent years we have seen a shift in the manner of crime being committed within the county. We have seen gangland and rural crime, not to mention drug crime within the county devastating communities and trying to tear them apart.”

The establishment of new local community safety partnerships are “not only crucial to towns like Drogheda and Dundalk, but also to Ardee and Dunleer in their hinterlands, as well as the smaller villages like Castlebellingham, Tallanstown and Louth,” said Deputy Butterly.

“We must make sure that work is followed through and local authorities begin the process of establishing their LCSPs, identifying members and laying the groundwork for the community safety plans involving collaboration between statutory and community partners.”

Meanwhile Sinn Fein Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú, who had pressed justice ministers about the delay in establishing the LCSPs, welcomed the news that the partnerships are to get up and running.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: ‘While I welcome the establishment of the partnerships, I raised the issue of membership of the partnerships with the Minister for Justice previously and the need for clarity about how people are selected for it.”

‘We are told there will be seven councillors from each local authority area and we will need to know how they are going to be picked and what the level of engagement there will be for Oireachtas members.

I would want to see three in Louth, one each to cover Dundalk, Drogheda and Ardee, which was one of the advantages of the JPCs, and this would need to be considered in the context of the establishment of the partnership in Louth.”

Fianna Fail TD for Louth, Erin McGreehan, has welcomed the introduction of new Local Community Safety Partnerships.

She added: “Community safety has been an important topic for me. Having had engagement with the Minister on several topics such as community safety, seeing that engagement being followed with action is promising.”

Each LCSP can hold as many meetings as needed but they must hold at least 6 meetings annually.

Deputy McGreehan explained that new measures introduced this week will allow members of the public to attend one of these meetings, while Oireachtas members and all locally elected public representatives will have opportunities to engage by attending at least one also.

She called on relevant stakeholders across Louth “to engage with the new Local Community Safety Partnership, to ensure that public safety can be targeted and efficient.”

“The purpose of these new Partnerships is to ensure we target issues and ensure community safety efficiently. We want to hear from all relevant stakeholders on the issues around safety across Louth.”