DonabatePortrane.net

diggerbarnes wrote:Why talk about the UK and not Dundrum? What effect was there on Dundrum all these years?

this brings us back to the same point again.
Dundrum has a Garda station.
Dundrum has excellent public transport links.

Donabate has no Garda station and little or no Garda presence.
The Hospital is completely off the beaten track. Not possible to reach by foot for most people and terrible public transport links to it.

We are not Dundrum!

And is this not a good way to get those things in our little hamlet?

diggerbarnes wrote:Why talk about the UK and not Dundrum? What effect was there on Dundrum all these years?

in an ideal world yes. but realistically we are never going to get a Garda station in Donabate.

public transport also isn't going to be increased. not in the short or medium term anyway.

in fact, as it stands they want to build this facility without even changing the layout of the roads, meaning that ALL construction traffic will come over the railway bridge, down main street and up the portrane road past two schools.

there is no provision for roads, guards or extra public transport in any planning request that i have seen for this facility. And sure once it's built, nothing will change.

i'm not against this facility at all, but common sense shows a number of things needs to be in place before it goes ahead.

i have zero confidence of any of it and in fact see this being bulldozed through with no regards for local residents. My biggest concern really is for the tons of machinery and equipment that will be trundling down the portrane road when schools are starting and ending.

EDIT: apologies for going so far off-topic!

i've never heard a peep out of dundrum, either good or bad. I known someone working in that sector of the HSE and he says its very well run. Most people wouldnt know the CMH is in dundrum if you'd have asked them 2 years ago.

diggerbarnes wrote:Why talk about the UK and not Dundrum? What effect was there on Dundrum all these years?

Partially because there is no reference in the application to any correspondance with An Garda Síochána in terms of how the new hospital will impact on Garda resources (it is the local Gardai who have to escourt patients to and from prisons and courts - 80% of the hospital submissions comes from prisons).

Furthermore in the light of resent reports on unreported crimes by An Garda Síochána, leaves one to doubt you'll get a clear picture of impact of the facility in Dundrum in the last few years.

The precarious position of the HSE in terms of reports by the European Commission on human rights and torture since 1993 on Dundrum leads me to believe you will not get a clear picture from the HSE either.

micropoodle wrote:Stopping crimes from occurring in the first place is also a major part of their role but this is not happening to the extent it should be happening...

Pretty Good capture by Gardai who are only there 00.1% of the time??

Taking Report and investigating yes they are different to a proactive force. I agree they need to be more proactive but proactive is a money thing and a morale thing - Gardai have been smashed against the rocks in this regard over recent years.

gemma wrote:
Pretty Good capture by Gardai who are only there 00.1% of the time??

Taking Report and investigating yes they are different to a proactive force. I agree they need to be more proactive but proactive is a money thing and a morale thing - Gardai have been smashed against the rocks in this regard over recent years.

But Gemma, as I said in my previous post, my concerns have nothing to do with the Gardai who in my opinion are doing a brilliant job with the extremely limited resources.

The blame lies solely at our public representatives and those who have directly slashed the number of Gardai on our streets. I have a very close relative who is a Guard and to say he is frustrated is an understatement. There is only so much they can do with what they have.

And yes, in my completely guesstimated opinion there is only a Garda presence here 0.01% of the time. Not the fault of the Guards at all obviously.

There are simply no resources. We need our local reps to lobby, lobby, lobby! And do so constantly, not just for show!

Very visible Garda Traffic presence in the village this morning.

micropoodle wrote: But Gemma, as I said in my previous post, my concerns have nothing to do with the Gardai who in my opinion are doing a brilliant job with the extremely limited resources.

The blame lies solely at our public representatives and those who have directly slashed the number of Gardai on our streets. I have a very close relative who is a Guard and to say he is frustrated is an understatement. There is only so much they can do with what they have.

And yes, in my completely guesstimated opinion there is only a Garda presence here 0.01% of the time. Not the fault of the Guards at all obviously.

There are simply no resources. We need our local reps to lobby, lobby, lobby! And do so constantly, not just for show!

We are livingh with 1990's levels of policing, but we are not talking about 90's levels of crime or population. Blame has be shouldered on the deliberate decision to reduce resources on policing and places of detention, and we are now experiencing the fallout from that. More Gardai will help but there is no short term fix to this as it will take time to bring Templemore back online, and the best part of two years to train the recruits. Given the number of Garda stations nationally, a full graduation will only mean an extra Garda or two per station and that is hardly going to make a huge dent in crime. Likewise the go-ahead for the much vaunted new prison won't realise its benefits for quite some time thereafter. It's all a big mess.

A mess is right. Don't forget the various knock-on effects of the downturn - not just on garda numbers. There is a body of disaffected youth out there with no work and no hope for a decent future. I'm no bleeding heart but tough times push people into criminal activity.
Don't forget to vote FF next year

diggerbarnes wrote:A mess is right. Don't forget the various knock-on effects of the downturn - not just on garda numbers. There is a body of disaffected youth out there with no work and no hope for a decent future. I'm no bleeding heart but tough times push people into criminal activity.
Don't forget to vote FF next year

unfortunately the short memory brigade already voted FF in the local elections last year.

padraig wrote:

alkaline wrote:They earned their pay last night. Might make people who incessently mouth off about the Guards being Irish Waters security think again, I hope this event lays down a marker with/for Donabate also although we need full and effective sentencing for this to be a successful capture.

The Gaurds might have earned their keep last night, but why is it nobody can tell us definitively why we've had a serious increase of these type of events in the past 18 months?
I surpose the state (and the local representatives who supported it) will be anxious to get the Donabate / Portrane crime situation under control, because in just under a month An Bord Plaenala will give us some indication if we are getting our high security Central Mental Hospital (with compliments from James Reilly), and I am sure that comes with it's own associated risks, if you look at the impact of these type of facilities have had on their locality in the UK (Broadmoor, Ashworth, Carstairs in Scotland and Rampton Hospital).

I stand corrected, the date for a decision from An Bord Plaenala on the National Forensic Mental Hospital (NFMHS) is 7th April, the statutory objective date, but they could extend this if they wish.