Policing in partnership

For the first time in decades, a Cavan native is sitting in the Superintendent’s chair at Cavan Garda Station.

Gavin O’Reilly, a Killeshandra/ Ballinagh man and former St Patrick’s College student, has taken responsibility for the Cavan Community Engagement Functional Area under An Garda Síochána’s new three-pillar policing model - and he's under no illusion about the weight that role retains.

“Firstly, it’s a great honour to serve the people of Cavan, and to get that opportunity, particularly as a native, is an even greater privilege,” he tells The Anglo-Celt.

Supt O’Reilly succeeds John Callanan, who has moved to Bailieborough with responsibility for the Louth/ Cavan/ Monaghan Crime Functional Area under the new three-county divisional structure headquartered in Dundalk.

It marks a significant appointment for Supt O’Reilly, who joined An Garda Síochána in 2005, and was among the youngest ever promoted to rank of inspector, before later rising to the position of superintendent. During that time his career has spanned from working the inner city beat to community policing, directing traffic, roads policing and event management, to youth diversion, community relations, and criminal operations.

His experience spans the full gambit of modern policing, from traffic operations in the south inner city to working with the national security intelligence at Garda Headquarters.

He has also represented An Garda Siochána in engagements at Europol, Interpol, and the US State Department.

Supt O'Reilly's focus though is now firmly on Cavan. And that, he adds, begins and ends with “community”.

Policing by consent

Community policing has shaped much of Supt O’Reilly’s outlook.

He previously worked in the Garda Community Relations Bureau on policy covering community partnerships, diversity, youth diversion and front-line service delivery.

He was also centrally involved in developing the Garda operating model that reduced 28 divisions to 21 and introduced the current three-pillar structure of community engagement, performance assurance and crime specialisation.

“For me, the focus here is about keeping people safe, protecting the public, and supporting gardaí in doing their job,” he says.

“My objective here is to ensure we have a true community policing ethos in how we deliver our service.”

Seventeen stations

That ethos extends across Cavan’s 17 Garda stations, from town centres to rural outposts.

“It is about ensuring we have community gardaí in all of those stations, working in their areas, getting to know people and supporting communities.”

Within 72 hours of getting his feet under the desk, Supt O’Reilly had already visited stations in Kilnaleck, Belturbet, Ballyconnell, and Swanlinbar. By the end of the week he'd also visited posts in Ballinagh, Bailieborough and Ballyjamesduff.

From Dowra and Blacklion in the west to Mullagh and Kingscourt in the east the “key priority” is on community - focused policing by implementing An Garda Siochána's National and Divisional Policing Plans.

“Visibility and support in rural communities is vital,” he says, adding the strongest messages he is hearing internally are positive.

“One of the strongest sentiments I’m hearing is that people love working in Cavan. They love being gardaí here and working with the people of Cavan.”

‘Shut out the noise’

“In this country we police by consent,” he says, citing former Garda Commissioner Michael Staines’ principle that An Garda Síochána would succeed 'not by force of arms or numbers, but by the support of the people'.

“That is the ethos we carry through.”During recent fuel protests in Cavan and wider national demonstrations, gardaí not only managed fast-developing situations, but also becoming the target of deeply personal online abuse.

Such criticism, Supt O’Reilly says, too often crossed a line.

And behind every uniform, Supt O’Reilly stresses, is a person - and a citizen of this country too.

“At the end of the day we must ensure our members are safe, and I have to support them in the performance of their duties, but also in dealing with the pressures that come with a very public-facing role. Nobody knows that better than myself. We have to shut out the noise.”

It is a line delivered without drama, but with obvious conviction.

Public scrutiny

Supt O’Reilly has himself endured intense public scrutiny following allegations that led to a GSOC investigation and court proceedings - matters that became the subject of significant public commentary.

“The matter went before the courts, and the courts vindicated my position against the vast majority of those allegations. That is on the public record in the forensic judgement of the court,” he confirms.

He is now pursuing action before the High Court to “further vindicate” his name, describing the period as “very difficult”, both personally and professionally. But he remains focused on the job.

It is perhaps because of that experience that Supt O’Reilly speaks so directly about what he calls “trial by media” and “trial by social media”.

“It is not acceptable that gardaí doing a difficult job have their families exposed, or their children affected - whether at school, in daily life or in public. There has to be fairness and balance. Gardaí are people too.”

Protests, rights and balance

Supt O’Reilly is clear in distinguishing peaceful protest from criminality.

“The overwhelming majority of people involved in those [recent] protests were peaceful, and our Constitution supports freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.”

Garda operations during the fuel protests meanwhile were rooted in one principle and one outcome: balance and engagement.

“We have to balance rights - peaceful protest and the rule of law. We are not there to fight political battles. We are there to keep everyone safe - protesters and those being protested against. Everything we do must be proportionate, lawful, non-discriminatory and professional.”

Drugs, roads and organised crime

While his remit is community engagement, Supt O’Reilly speaks directly about the criminal threats facing ever corner of the country.

Drugs, particularly where linked to intimidation, violence, public disorder and anti-social behaviour, remain key concerns.

Cross-border criminality is another major issue, with Cavan positioned at the frontline of organised and transnational crime.

“It is a totally new dimension for me,” he admits, having spent much of his career in and around Dublin, yet all too aware having grown up in the county of the barrier the border presents.

Senior gardaí last week met with their PSNI counterparts, and additional engagement is planned. Supt O’Reilly himself will follow shortly.

“That partnership is necessary to keep people safe,” he says, leaning on personal experience engaging with Europol and Interpol- something that reinforces the importance Supt O’Reilly places on a broad-reaching intelligence-led cooperation.

“Serious organised crime is not just a city issue- it affects every community, urban and rural,” he maintains.

Road safety is another priority.

“The speed limit is an upper limit, not a target,” he clarifies. “A split second can change everything.”

His message to drivers, of all ages, is straightforward: Slow down, wear seatbelts, avoid mobile phones, and never drink- or drug-drive.

Prevention before prosecution

Supt O’Reilly also highlights child protection, domestic violence and cyberbullying as other growing priorities.

Under Chief Superintendent Alan McGovern, Cavan established a Child Protection and Domestic Violence Coordination Unit to support victims and coordinate responses.

He points to ongoing work inspired by Coco’s Law- a ground-breaking local initiative that now extends beyond schools into GAA clubs and local sporting organisations.

“Education and awareness are absolutely vital,” says Supt O'Reilly, highlighting the work done by local Inspector Lionel Mullally, with a specially trained team of gardaí, tasked with educating young people about online behaviour, consent, illegal image sharing and harmful communications.

“The GAA is at the heart of every parish in Cavan,” acknowledges Supt O'Reilly. “That makes it a powerful platform for these messages. That is community policing at its best- prevention, education and partnership.”

Vocation

For Supt O’Reilly however, policing is deeply personal.

“Being a Garda is not just a career - it is a vocation,” he shares, before talking with striking clarity about the emotional range of the job facing gardaí on a daily basis.

“You can be supporting a bereaved family one day, enforcing the law the next, and dealing with domestic violence, anti-social behaviour or serious crime after that.”

He also speaks strongly about the role of leadership.

“Gardaí need to know they are supported - through transport, training, resources and priorities. That is part of my role.”

And yes, he says, he will be pushing hard for more resources.

“Absolutely. I am eager to get more gardaí to Cavan.”

That includes additional feet on the ground in roads policing, drug enforcement, rural support, and in preparation for the opening of the new €19M Garda station in Bailieborough, due to happen now in the coming months.

Despite the complexity of the job, Supt O’Reilly returns to a central theme: “visibility”.

“I want community policing at the heart of everything we do. I want gardaí to be visible, accessible and trusted. I want communities to feel supported and safe.”

His ambition is clear, his tone measured.

“Policing is about professionalism, fairness, empathy and accountability. It is about enforcing the law, but also listening, supporting victims, protecting vulnerable people and building trust.”

He then concludes simply by saying: “Ultimately, everything comes back to keeping the people of Cavan safe. That is the responsibility, and that is now my privilege.”