Mayo to have only one JPC after local government changes

Mayo to have only one Joint Policing Committee after local government changes


Edwin McGreal

Mayo will have only one fully fledged Joint Policing Committee (JPC) after local government changes come into force this year.
Sergeant Pat Conway of the Garda National JPC Monitoring Office told this to members of the Castlebar JPC meeting yesterday (Monday).
Currently there are four JPCs in Mayo. There is the overall Mayo JPC along with a JPC associated to each of the three town councils in the county - Ballina, Castlebar and Westport.
However, with the town councils due to be abolished as part of Minister of the Environment Phil Hogan’s local election changes, those three JPCs, as they are currently constituted, will cease to exist.
Sergeant Conway told the meeting that while the move has not been fully passed, what is expected to happen is there will be just one JPC in Mayo.
He did say, however, that each of the four new municipal districts - Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris and West Mayo, could have their own sub committee from the county JPC.
He said for a JPC to be properly constituted, it must have a local authority in that area. It seems that with the abolition of the councils, there will only be one local authority in the county so there can only be one fully-fledged JPC.
Sergeant Conway urged Castlebar JPC members to ensure that issues they have raised and are still looking for solutions on are transferred over to the county JPC.
He said that issues which councillors raised on the night concerning CCTV cameras and pedestrian/courtesy crossings can be addressed at the county JPC meetings.
The final meeting of the Castlebar JPC will take place in April. JPCs provide a forum for local political representatives and community activists to liaise with senior gardaí on policing issues.