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 New training reforms were outlined at a reservists’ passing-out ceremony in the Garda College on Friday last, at Templemore , Co.Tipperary.
New recruits will be given full policing powers, which will include the power of arrest, after just 34 weeks of training. Presently the current period, before such powers were conferred, was 58 weeks.
New applicants planning to join An Garda Síochána will only be successful if they have a driver’s licence, have first aid training and can swim.
Gardaí will also be offered a range of continuous learning options throughout their careers. Civilians, presently 2,700, working for the Garda force of 14,700 officers, will also be offered enhanced training along side their Gardaí counterparts.
This new training regime has been identified by the Garda Training and Development Review Group established by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and chaired by former HSE member, Pat McLoughlin.
Confirmation from the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern that the Garda College in Templemore is safe, has been received by Independent Deputy Michael Lowry. Mr Lowry sought the assurances after local Templemore Town Councillors spoke of ‘rumours of imminent closure’ due to the current recruitment embargo. However operations at the college are expected to be cut back.
 Templemore Garda Training College Plans for the 220-acre site at Clonmore, latter situated close to Templemore, Thurles, Co.Tipperary, which was ear marked for use as a firearms and as a tactical training facility three years ago, for €5.5 million, still remain on hold.
Minister Ahern assured Mr Lowry that the College would “not be closed for any period of time not withstanding the current recruitment embargo and the college will remains an integral part of the infrastructure of An Garda Síochána. It will continue to be used to train and up skill existing members of the force.”
Deputy Lowry communicated this information to a specially convened meeting of Templemore town Councillors and North Tipperary Oireachtas representatives in Templemore town hall on Monday night.
The Chief Superintendent Mr Jack Nolan, in charge of the college, has already assured all permanent staff at the college that their positions are safe. There is a problem with the positions of some of the catering staff at the college as they are not officially on the Department of Justice payroll, but a solution is currently being sought.
Deputy Lowry Stated:-
” While undoubtedly I would prefer new recruits to be going through the college and onto our streets, the current embargo gives the Gardaì the opportunity to engage in further training and up skilling for its current personnel. The main problem the force is experiencing at present is the retirement of senior members, and the vacuum of expertise and leadership that this has left. The recruitment freeze allows the Garda College the capacity to allow the training of existing officers for more senior and specialised roles, so that some of this deficit can be addressed.”
All eyes will now be focused on the implementation of changes to garda work practices recommended in last week’s report by the Garda Chief Inspector, former Boston police commissioner Kathleen O’Toole, to see if these changes will in any way effect the college’s future.
Chief Inspector O’Toole, in her recent published report, entitled ‘Resourse Allocation‘, recommends that advantage should be taken of future opportunities to acquire civilian staff with the required skills who may become available through increased mobility across the public service. Future recruitment of police officers should be linked to progress towards achieving an initial minimum target ratio of one member of police staff to every three serving police officers.
 Irish President Mrs Mary McAleese It was on the 7th of December 1959 that the first 12 Irish women graduated as members of An Garda Síochána from the Garda Headquarters at the Phoenix Park depot, Dublin.
Today there were now more than 3,000 female members, with women accounting for approx 22 per cent of the Garda force and the most senior female member of An Garda Síochána today holds the post of Assistant Commissioner.
President Mary McAleese will deliver the opening address at a conference to mark the 50th Anniversary of Women in Policing in North Tipperary today.
The President will be welcomed to the Garda College in Templemore, Co.Tipperary by the Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy.
Following on from the disturbing Murphy Report recently published, which deals with child sex abuse in the diocese of Dublin, the Minister of State for Children, Mr Barry Andrews TD is proposing that the Garda Central Vetting Unit, currently based in Thurles, be put on a statutory basis with responsibility for the management of all soft and hard information relevant to allegations or suspicions of child abuse in the State.
 Barry Andrews TD This statutory body, now proposed, would run similar to the layout of the present Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB, An Biúró um Shócmhainní Coiriúla) and the first stages of a bill is currently being prepared, in co-operation with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, for eventual presentation to the Government.
The proposed agency will be led by the Gardaí, with the HSE, Revenue Commissioners, Department of Social and Family Affairs and other relevant support groups working closely under their leadership.
This expected legislation will automatically take into account each persons constitutional rights, the right to equality before the law, the right to privacy, the right to a good name, and the right to earn a livelihood.
Contrary to popular belief the Thurles Garda Central Vetting Unit, which was decentralised to Thurles, Co.Tipperary in 2007, does not provide clearance for persons to work with children, vulnerable adults or any other capacity. The function of the Garda Vetting Unit and the vetting process has been to disclose details regarding all prosecutions, whether successful or not, whether pending or completed, and – or all convictions.
It will therefore be interesting to see how this proposed new body will co-exist if approved by government.
 A fourteen day trial of a new traffic management plan came into effect today in Thurles.
This new system, which has the full approval of An Garda Síochána includes a number of new one-way routes, put into place from early this morning.
However Gardaí are continuing to remind motorists who are entering Thurles from Templemore that they must stop and yield to the two lanes of traffic coming down right on the now one-way Cuchulainn Road, while noting also that traffic from Nenagh direction is now being diverted left away from Parnell Street, which is presently one-way only to drivers leaving Liberty Square.
So during this trial period “Lets be careful out there folks, concentrate and watch out for those newly erected signs.”
So how was it for you today ?
Your comments, suggestions welcomed.
In the meanwhile - Drive With Care.
Gardaí in Tipperary Town are today hunting for a four-man gang, following a series of attempted robberies during last night.
The Centra Supermarket at Main Street, Dundrum, was targeted at around 4 o’clock. This followed an earlier robbery in Doon, Co Limerick.
Gardaí disturbed the balaclava clad gang, as they attempted one of these burglaries. The criminal gang then attacked the Garda patrol car with an assortment of weapons before fleeing the scene in a blueish or purple Ford Focus bearing the possible registration number 08 KK 1010 or 11.
The Gardaí then pursued the vehicle in the direction of Thurles, before being rammed and disabled near Rossmore, Co.Tipperary.
Police are now anxious to obtain any information regarding the movements of this vehicle and its occupants.
Information please to Tipperary Gardaí on 062 80670 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.
 If you are a victim of crime, support is readily available in Thurles.
Victim Support is a community based organisation established in 1985, to help with victims of crime. The ultimate objective is to facilitate victims in availing of appropriate services and to avoid causing secondary victimisation. If a victim of crime has to attend court and if they so wish, a professionally trained member of Victim Support will accompany them and will stay with them, throughout the trial.
The recent refurbishment of the Thurles Courthouse includes, for the first time, a Victim Support Room. This affords victims an opportunity to communicate in a caring , confidential and structured manner.
Thurles Victim Support branch was launched in April 1998 and with the assistance and co-operation of the Thurles Gardaí. They continue to offer relevant services at local level.
Sincere gratitude is extended by victims and the Victim Support organisation to our local Gardaí and also to the Commission set up by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Picture shows (Left -Right) Noreen Cooke (Secretary Victim Support Thurles) Mr Dermot Ahern, T.D. ( Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform) and Kathleen Dowling (Chairperson Victim Support Thurles)
Local contact telephone number for Victim Support is 0504-44777.
 None of the 1,000 motorists, in Ireland, summoned to court for failing to pay M50 tolls have contested their case. The vast majority of drivers have decided against engaging in a legal battle with the National Roads Authority over fines for failing to pay a €3 toll for using the motorway.
However this information begs the question: How many false claims have been made against motorists by BetEire Flow Ltd, appointed by the National Roads Authority to manage the barrier tolling system?
Answer: No one knows and worse still, it seems no one cares.
Based on personal experience and the experience of numerous garages in Co.Tipperary you do not have to be on the M50 to receive a Standard Toll Request (STR) in accordance with section 64950 of the Roads Act 1993 to 2007. It would seem the machinery used by Eflow on this stretch of Toll Road to track offenders, is far from accurate. Well it’s that or the staff used to operate this system need to pay a visit to Specsavers.
Recently, I received a Standard Toll Request (STR No 1080310700) demanding payment of €6 and threatening an additional charge of €41.50 if I failed to pay. The request for payment claimed my car was spotted Southbound on the M50 at 18:32:07, on the 7th July 2009. I raise my hands folks, I confess I have never been on this famous M50, ever, in my life time. Me, I prefer instead to travel on minor rural potholed roads, long forgotten by local Co. Councils and powerless public representatives.
Note: My car has never been stolen or loaned and although it has all the latest gadgets, it is not fitted with any special remote control facilities, so it can’t go for a drive on its own. Well that’s according to the manual which came attached. (Remember if at first you don’t succeed always read the manual.)
Incorrect Vehicle or already registered
Eflow is quick to advise those accused that if they did not make the journey they should contact LoCall 1890-50-10-50 to get the matter sorted. So the costs in phone calls and time, in getting it sorted out, are equal or greater than paying the actual fine of €6.
No I did not bother to call them, but if Eflow were to send me a postal order for €40, (That’s me hourly rate.) I will be happy to send them approximately 26 names and addresses of people who can honestly swear they were in the company of both me and my car, here in Thurles, at the time and date in question.
According to website www.eflow.ie/news/index.htm errors regarding registration are possibly caused by:
- The other vehicle having a broken, dirty or non-standard number plate.
- Poor weather conditions
- Mounting bolts obscuring letter or number details
These latter situations occurring, appear to gives Eflow’s staff, some sort of ‘Car-etic Licence’ to guess the registration plate of the offender, resulting in false accusations. It is not surprising therefore that the company appointed by the National Roads Authority to manage this barrier tolling system, is called, yes you have guessed it “ BetEire Flow Limited“. (Bet you got it wrong in my case.)
Under the barrier-free tolling system, motorists who choose the pay-as-you-go option must pay a €3 toll by 8pm the day after their journey is made.
If the deadline is missed, a €3 penalty is added and a further €41.50 penalty is added on if this is not paid within 14 days.
If the bill is not settled within 56 days, another €104.50 is levied and failure to pay this results in a summons being issued.
So it would appear if you want to avoid paying this toll, dirty your registration plates.
Now if Eflow persist with their false accusation, I can plead that my car was being driven by a member of An Garda Siochana, because interestingly enough Government Ministers cars driven by members of an Garda Siochana are exempt from these tolls under section 62 of the Roads Act 1993.
 The Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern TD formally opened the newly restored Thurles courthouse yesterday.
The once dilapidated and disused building has now been completely renovated at a cost of approximately €4.5m.
Before the official opening the building was blessed by His Grace Dr Dermot Clifford Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel and Emly assisted by Church of Ireland Rector Rev Peter Massey Cole-Baker Templemore Union of Churches and Rev Father Martin Hayes CC, Thurles.
The building was nominated at the Irish Architecture Awards this year, and is regarded as a major civic and historical landmark in the centre of Thurles. Erected in 1828, the courthouse itself has played host to many historic events, the public meeting regarding Famine Public Works schemes in April 1846, the famous GAA Convention of November 9th 1887, the inaugural meeting of Thurles Golf Club on January 21st 1909.
The restored building now includes two new modern courtrooms, a reception and public waiting area, holding facilities, legal practitioners and consultation rooms and accommodation for the County Registrar and Court Clerks.
Speaking at the event the Hon. Mr Justice Matthew Deery, President of the Circuit Court stated,
“Once described as disused, dilapidated, and surrounded by cars, the Thurles Courthouse was in need of urgent intervention. That intervention by the Courts Service has resulted in this new fine, restored public building. All involved are to be congratulated and I am delighted the new Thurles Courthouse was nominated and exhibited at the Irish Architecture Awards this year”.
The project teams behind this joint restoration were, The Courts Service, who engaged with the main contractor Pierce Healy Developments Ltd, Architects, Deaton Lysaght, and the Office of Public Works.
As part of an ongoing programme of investment in modernising courts throughout the country, which started 10 years ago, 50 courthouses have now been completely refurbished or constructed marking an investment of €200m during this same period.
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