Extra patrols for BJD after St Patrick’s night incident

There have been 161 additional patrols in the Ballyjamesduff area since a video of street fight in the town on St Patrick’s night appeared to show a person armed with an implement.

The “special operation” was aimed at tackling and addressing the threat of anti-social behaviour in the local area, members of Cavan’s Joint Policing Committee were informed last week.

Garda Superintendent for the Bailieborough District, Gordon Englishby, was responding to a request from Fine Gael’s Trevor Smith who called for a greater police presence in towns and villages on nights when festivals or parades take place.

He said that it was widely recognised that “high visibility” on the ground had a positive impact in terms of lowering crime, but recognised that the force needed to be “properly resourced” first.

Responding, Supt Englishby said communities needed to tell gardaí ahead of time if an event is taking place that requires additional policing resources.

But with regards to the St Patrick’s night incident in Ballyjamesduff, footage of which showed a melee of people on Dublin Street, that a “number of actions had been taken to address issues.”

“This [greater visibility] has been noticed,” confirmed Cllr Smith.