Extra gardaí to be deployed to deal with Halloween house parties

Local gardaí are hoping that the introduction of fines for breaching Covid-19 restrictions will deter people from having house parties this Halloween, members of the Joint Policing Committee were told yesterday, Monday.

Responding to a query from Cllr Hazel Smyth about what the gardaí plan to do to “clamp down” on people holding house parties in the run-up to Halloween, the Chief Superintendent of the Westmeath Garda Division Fergus Healy said that while there was “concern” over the prospect of people holding house parties around the autumn holiday period, he hoped that the introduction of on the spot fines will act as a “preventative measure”.

He added that in the coming weeks there will be “proactive communication with respect to tackling this issue”, both at local and national levels.

“I am hopeful that this will have some impetus in dealing with the potential problem here,” he said, “but it is a concern going forward.”

Earlier in the virtual meeting, Superintendent Alan Murray said that officers in both Mullingar and Athlone were currently preparing a plan for the Halloween period and that extra officers will be deployed.

Cllr Frankie Keena said that it light of the threat from Covid-19, it was important that Westmeath County Council staff – in co-operation with gardaí – prevent bonfires from being lit and gatherings taking place around them.

The chief executive of Westmeath County Council, Pat Gallagher, said that similar to previous years, council staff will be available to remove materials that have been gathered in advance for bonfires.

99% compliant

The public have been “99 per cent” compliant at the road blocks manned by local gardaí since Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions were introduced on Tuesday night of last week.

Superintendent Alan Murray told the members of the JPC that there are two static checkpoints at Athlone and Rathowen each day as part of Operation Fanacht and that while the officers have no power to force people to stay within the boundaries of the county in which they are based, the vast majority do so.

“Ninety nine times out of a hundred, a guard advising a motorist to turn back for his own wellbeing is working,” said the senior garda.

Superintendent Murray was responding to a query from Minister Robert Troy, TD, who said a friend of his who is an officer in another division said that the “level of non-co-operation was very high”.

Superintendent Murray also said that there has been a high level of compliance from local pubs in relation to Covid-19 guidelines. As well as inspections from uniformed officers, plain clothes officers have been sent into bars to ensure that Covid-19 guidelines are being adhered to, he said.

“I know in Mullingar we had no problems,” he said.

Superintendent David Nolan said that there had also been high compliance in the Athlone District.