‘The town is walking with drugs’ - Government paying ‘no attention’ to law and order in Mayo, says Kilcoyne

MAYO County Council is to write to the Minister for Justice after an elected representative accused the government of paying ‘no attention’ to law and order.

Speaking at the local authority’s monthly meeting, Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne claimed the government had ‘no more interest in law and order than I have on landing on the moon’.

His remarks followed concerns expressed by Cllr Michael Loftus (Fianna Fáil) over the eleven-month absence of the Mayo Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

Both Cllr Loftus and Kilcoyne complained that elected representatives had nobody to raise issues with regarding law and order since the abolition of the JPCs last March.

The forum comprised senior gardaí, Mayo’s Oireachtas members and several Mayo county councillors. The JPCs are due to be replaced by Community Safety Partnerships, which will also comprise elected representatives and operate on a similar model to the JPC.

Following an interview process, a chairperson for the new Mayo Community Safety Partnership has been selected pending the approval of the Minister for Justice. Mayo County Council are awaiting further guidance on the matter from the Department of Justice.

Cllr Loftus said the absence of the JPCs had deprived elected representatives of the opportunity to discuss the newly introduced speed limits with gardaí. The Crossmolina-based representative said it was ‘crazy’ that elected representatives had no forum to raise issues with Gardaí for the previous eleven months.

Cllr Kilcoyne expressed similar concerns, accusing the government of having no regard for law and order.

“The town is walking with drugs, cars flying everywhere, no enforcement of anything, no staff. It’s just unbelievable,” said the Castlebar-based councillor.

“The whole place is falling down. It’s just crumbling. Nobody seems to give a sugar. Crime is widespread, speeding is widespread, no enforcement of any kind for anything. Sometimes [there is] only one garda manning a garda station where there used to be three or four. Drugs are widespread. On some streets, you’d get high walking up the street.”

Cllr Kilcoyne proposed a motion, seconded by Fianna Fáil whip Cllr Damien Ryan, that the council write to the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD, to outline their concerns.