Text Alerts for Gardai
August 4th 2011Greystones Town Council Joint Policing Committee meeting was held last night, 26 July, 2011.
I once again raised the matter of text alerts for the Gardai.
I first raised this matter when I was Chairman of the Co. Wicklow Joint Policing Committee.
Text alerts would work like this.
Members of the public would sign up to receive text alerts when a crime has been committed.
Confirmed information about the crime would be passed to those members of the public.
For example, a description of a getaway car could be made available in minutes.
The general public would then be alert and aware and could provide information about the crime.
Very often, a request for information is made by the Gardai.
But this could be days after the incident.
And peoples’ memories would have faded.
Good policing depends on all of us.
Text alert would help the Gardai to keep us all safe.
Mobile phones and texts are now universally used.
Hospitals and doctors use texts to remind patients of appointments.
Schools use texts to stay in contact with parents and students.
You can order a taxi by text.
You can transfer money by text.
Africa is being transformed by use of mobile phones and texts.
Here, in Rathdown Park, where I live, the Residents Association is using texts.
We keep in contact with residents.
We recently had burglaries.
Residents were alerted within minutes.
And everyone could keep an eye out.
The Gardai have said that they will look into text use.
This will be very welcome.