Laois Community Safety Partnership opens its doors to the public
Members of Laois Safety Partnership committee at the last Tuesday's meeting
WHILE it may have taken five meetings for it to happen, the Laois Community Safety Partnership has finally opened to the public and members of the press to attend.
The Laois Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) brings together government agencies, local services, voluntary organisations, councillors and community members to work collectively on issues that matter most to Laois residents. It is an evolution of the old joint policing committee and, like that committee, is funded by the Department of Justice.
In light of the fact that many members of the public that were in attendance were likely unfamiliar with the organisation’s work, the meeting began with a presentation conducted by committee officials outlining the work they do and the role they play.
Describing the initiative, a committee reprepresentative explained: “At the heart of it, it's about bringing the right people into the room â gardaí. Tusla, local councillors, domestic services, LOETB and, most importantly, people from the community themselves, all working together on community safety. What makes a difference, I suppose, is the approach … starting from what local people say matters.”
Following on from that explainer, the chair of the LCSP Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley explained some of the areas that the LCSP works on, including road safety issues, drug-related problems, domestic violence, youth outlets, dog control, integration, migrant safety, hate crime, mental health and suicide awareness.
In recent times, the LCSP has been running domestic violence assessment and preparedness workshops to help people secure Purple Hand certified training. Offered by the Laois Domestic Abuse Service, and supported by Laois Co Council, Purple Hand training is offered to all organisations, business and groups throughout the county.
The training will enable those who have successfully completed it and received the Purple Hand certificate to be able to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and help those experiencing it by steering them towards the appropriate services.
Another key area for the group is that of drug education, which sees representatives from the LCSP arrange a talk every few months with the wider community about drug use and its impacts. At a recent talk in Portlaoise, delivered to 16 and 17-year-olds involved in local sports clubs. local gardaí involved with the drugs and alcohol taskforce explained the effect drugs have on the body and the penalties that drugs use, possession and distribution can have in the legal system – the dangers drug use, including alcohol consumption, pose to the human body were also highlighted.
The talk was described as successful, with more planned for the future.
Men' s health awareness, accessibility for those with disabilities, fire safety and prevention were other areas that LCSP has been working on extensively since the new group was formed.
At the last meeting, LCSP also established a sub-group dedicated to the prevention and assessment of crime in rural areas. The group has also established social media channels for the Local Community Safety Partnership and has and will continue to utilise it to inform the public about the different partnerships they will co-ordinate with, groups like the gardaí or Laois Domestic Violence. Those interested in keeping up to date with their efforts can find their social media presence online.
The group is funded primarily by the DOJ but is also in the process of attempting to secure funding from the Community Safety Fund.
At the close of the public introduction to the work of the LCSP, the group gave details of upcoming plans, including a free health check for farmers at Ballinakill market on 3 October and then driver conference will return to Laois on 15 October.
