Newsletter Issue 1 - Limerick City Community Safety Partnership ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Patrols SIX COMMUNITY COORDINATOR NEWSLETTER 2008/2009 I NCREASING C OMMUNITY S AFETY Community Safety As you will be quite aware at this stage the Community Coordinators are now familiar faces in your community. Through our patrols and walkabouts we continue to provide a visible, on the ground presence. In doing so, we strive to reassure those who are most vulnerable that we are always there to offer support. Being readily available within the community has enabled residents to approach us should they have any queries or concerns. Through our strong links with Limerick City Council, the Community Gardaí, the HSE and various other community groups we continue to do our utmost to support residents in maintaining safer, stronger communities. Safety Chain Initiative Following the success of our first safety chain initiative the coordinators have recently fitted close to 100 safety chains to residents homes on the Northside of the city. Winter 2009 will see a further roll out of this scheme on the Southside. This simple, yet very worthwhile, programme has instilled a greater sense of security among resident’s within their own homes. The value of this initiative is evident through the increasing confidence reported by residents when having to answer the door to strangers. Residents should be aware that tenancy complaints can be logged anonymously with the Limerick City Council Tenancy Enforcement Officer at 061- 407184. Or alternatively speak to you local Community Coordinator. All information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. Section 26 of the Freedom of Information Act 1997, as amended, requires public bodies to refuse to disclose information that was given to them in confidence. Home Visiting Service Your Community Coordinators are always striving to create safer, more confident communities. As a result, we are delighted to say that our home visiting service is continuously expanding. These friendly visits enable many residents to link in with the various community services in their area, while also providing a variety of advice on topics such as entitlements, home safety and tenancy issues. We are grateful for the strong relationships this service has allowed us to establish and look forward to calling to even more of you in the future. Road Safety Initiative The Community Coordinators are always on hand to pass on the message of community safety to the young people in our estates. Early this year, we emphasised the 'Be Safe, Be Seen' message to local school children. With the help of the Community Gardaí, we distributed high visibility armbands and encouraged pupils to wear them or put them on their school bags, especially on dark evenings. The Gardaí also passed on some useful road safety tips for pupils to consider when walking or cycling to and from school. Courtesy of The Limerick Leader
I NCREASING C OMMUNITY S AFETY Street Lighting Blitz In order to further increase community safety the coordinators monitor street lighting to ensure your local area is well lit. We continue to note any broken street lamps on a daily basis, while also carrying out an expansive Street Lighting Blitz, on both the North and Southside of the city, a number of times throughout the year. When we come across any lamps that are out of order we inform the relevant department at Limerick City Council/ESB to have it dealt with as quickly as possible. While it may seem to be a small thing, it is vital to keep the community well-lit at all times in order to discourage anti-social black spots and ensure residents feel safe at night Garda Liam Sheehan, Crime Prevention Officer would like to advise residents of the following home safety measures and current issues in the Limerick area. Hi All, I would like to take this opportunity to pass on some crime prevention advice which I hope will prevent residents becoming victims of crime. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity and there are some very simple steps you can take to improve your security at home, without costing you anything except a few minutes of your time. l When you leave the house make it a habit to double check that all doors and windows are securely locked l Do not keep large amounts of cash in the house l Do not hide keys outside your home, or leave them in obvious places near doors or windows If you are concerned about bogus callers remember the following; LOCK, STOP, CHAIN, CHECK. LOCK: Make sure your door is locked when you are at home and do not unlock it until you are sure who is on the other side. STOP: If someone appears at your door when you are not expecting any visitors, check that all the doors are locked. Look through the spy hole or the window to see who it is. CHAIN: If you decide to open the door, put the door chain or bar on first. Keep the bar or chain on while you are talking. (If your door is shut and locked keep the bar or chain off in case you need to get out in an emergency) CHECK: Ask for and check the person's identity card. If you are still not sure, ask for a number you can ring to confirm their identity. If they can't show you any identification, do not let them in. Community Gardaí in your local area: Northside Thomandgate/Kileely: Michael Hennessey Mary St. Garda Station Ray Roche Lisa O'Connor Heather McGauran Ballynanty: Peter Colleran Mayorstone Garda Station Karen Tracey Ger Shore Watergate: John Reilly Henry Street Garda Station Sharon Ivory Johnsgate Area: Tom Dileen Henry Street Garda Station Southside Kennedy Park, Glasgow Park, Janesboro, Rathbane: Fidelma O'Connor Sarsfield Park: Donal Walsh All Roxboro Garda Station A number of incidents have occurred in Limerick recently where older people were conned by bogus callers who said they were from the ESB. They pretended they were calling to read the meter. The victims handed over money when asked for it and in some cases the occupants of the house were distracted while an accomplice searched the house and stole some cash. Remember employees from the ESB do not look for money when they call to your house to read or repair your meter. Bogus callers can be men, women or children or a combination of all three. They can look genuine and be very persuasive. The best crime prevention tool is a good neighbour so get to know your neighbour and look out for each other. I would ask residents to look out for bogus callers in your area particularly to the homes of older people and please report any suspicious activity to the Gardai. I would be happy to give a talk to any group on home and personal security and I can be contacted through the Community Coordinators. Liam Sheehan Crime Prevention Officer COMMUNITY COORDINATOR NEWSLETTER 2008/2009 SEVEN
Page 1 and 2: L IMERICK C ITY C OMMUNITY S AFETY
Page 3 and 4: C OMMUNITY C OORDINATOR T EAM Sinea
Page 5: Evaluation of Limerick Community Co
Page 9 and 10: I MPROVING T HE E NVIRONMENT Furthe
Page 11 and 12: I MPROVING T HE E NVIRONMENT The ai
Page 13 and 14: C OMMUNITY S PIRIT Following the su
Page 15 and 16: C OMMUNITY S PIRIT The very success
Page 17 and 18: P LANS FOR 2009 - 2010 Plans for th
Page 19 and 20: G ALLERY COMMUNITY COORDINATOR NEWS

Newsletter Issue 1 - Limerick City Community Safety Partnership ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?