New policing strategies are being implemented in Waterford and across the country to combat crime.
Sergeant Deirdre O'Neill outlined some of the new procedures at the recent meeting of the Joint Policing Committee.
She says it's very important for Gardai to engage with communities going forward.
"You go back thirty years, these problems were around then. It's probably a different spin on it now with social media," Sergeant O'Neill said.
"The idea behind it is that we don't aimlessly give the impression we are less reactive. We are planning more, and we utilise all the information to show the effect crime prevention has, and it probably comes back down to our superintendents then."
Waterford Joint Policing Committee has been replaced by the Local Community Safety Partnership as Waterford has been selected by the Department of Justice as a pilot location.
According to Waterford City and County Council, "This pilot has been devised on the principle that community safety is not just the responsibility of An Garda Síochána and that a strategic partnership approach, which brings together a range of service providers and the community, can have a significant impact on helping people be and feel more secure in their communities."
Sergeant O'Neill continued, "They will look at particular areas if they need targeting, they get targeting, but it is planned, and it is in our policing plan also. There are issues that have been there before, but it is to be more clinical in how we approach them. All the Guards would have been trained with this in online training, but it is another job for the Super Intendents to implement it."
The chairman of Waterford's Joint Policing Committee says there is great potential in new approaches from Gardaí to combatting common crime.
"I think there is real potential in this approach, and there is no doubt that it is a good idea to step back and look at patterns and look at cause and effect. For example, I would like to suggest that there is a seasonality to some issues that emerge in Waterford and other parts of the country for instance public binge drinking.
"People wouldn't tend to sit out in the depths of winter knocking back the cans on Ballybricken Green or anywhere else, but they might be in the warmer weather.
"You have to respond to the situation that you face."
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