An Garda Siochana in Cork City formally launched a public awareness campaign on knife/weapon crime at 11 am on Monday, 17th October 2011 at Cork City Hall.
The campaign, introduced by Chief Superintendent Finn and Superintendent Tom Myers, is directed at crime prevention and education on the dangers of Knife/Weapon Crime in Cork City. Also present were Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Fitzgerald, Cork City and County Councillors, members of the Oireachtas, members of Cork City Fire Service, HSE Service, Ms Sally Hanlon from Victims of Crime and Cork Footballer Mr Eoin Cadogan.
Chief Superintendent Finn opened the launch and explained that ‘the initiative emerged from a comprehensive assessment of crime trends and consultation with our public and partners’. He asserted that ‘community engagement provides us with a better understanding of the issues of concern and allows us to focus our resources on policing priorities and tailor strategies to support priority areas.’ He acknowledged the work of all the agencies in Cork City and applauded the Cork Footballer, Mr Eoin Cadogan for his support and described him as ‘an icon for the youth of Cork’.
Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Fitzgerald declared that he was delighted to launch the initiative at City Hall and welcomed many of the city’s interagency, business and community partners. He asserted ‘Chief Superintendent Finn and his team from An Garda Siochana are always proactive and leaders in the war against crime. This pioneering initiative is just another of their excellent strategies to reduce crime in our city’ and he applauded ‘the strong partnerships forged in Cork City and in particular the Cork City Joint Policing Fora’.
‘We want to give young people the facts, offering them some advice on what they can do if they find themselves coming under peer pressure, and letting them know that support is available to them from An Garda Siochana. It is about informing and educating young people about the danger of carrying knives and reducing the number of incidences of knife crime in Cork City’ according to Superintendent Tom Myers who is leading this initiative. He emphasised ‘If you are caught with a knife, you will be arrested, charged and brought before the courts’.
A ‘Voluntary Code of Practice’ has been developed for shops that sell knives/weapons in Cork and the business community are supporting this initiative. The Vintners Association are also lending their co-operation to the campaign.
Sergeant Trevor Laffan is co-ordinating visits to secondary schools and third level colleges to promote this initiative and to deliver presentations aimed at the specific audience age group in order to educate them on the dangers of knife crime. Sergeant Ben Flahive, Juvenile Liaison Officer, is focusing on diverting young people from criminal activity and negative involvement in the criminal justice system.
Previous Press Release listed below refers.
A photograph from the launch is available on request by e-mail from the Garda Press Office.
Contact: Garda Press Office 01 6662032/34/35
Email: ‘pressoffice@garda.ie’
Garda Press Office.
An Garda Siochana Knife/Weapon Crime Awareness Campaign
An Garda Siochana in Cork City will formally launch a public awareness campaign on knife/weapon crime at 11 am on Monday, 17th October 2011 at Cork City Hall. The campaign is directed at crime prevention and education on the dangers of Knife Crime in Cork City.
‘While we have been fortunate not to experience sustained high levels of Knife Crime in Cork City, there has nonetheless been a series of incidents that indicates that the carriage of knives is on the increase. We are aware of the potential for a wider issue to emerge whereby certain people may carry knives/weapon and use them to harm others.’’ according to Chief Superintendent Michael Finn of Cork City Garda Division.
This initiative was spearheaded by Superintendent Tom Myers of Mayfield who explained that the initiative builds on previous events run in Cork to highlight the dangers of Knife Crime. He stated ‘We want to intervene early with young people and bring home to them that if you carry a knife, it significantly increases the risk that it will be used on yourself’.
The campaign is supported by local sports stars who are excellent role models for our youth. Eoin Cadogan, in his support of the campaign, declared ‘We all have a responsibility to protect the young people of Cork and I personally wasn’t aware of the prevalence and danger of young people carrying knives’.
The message from An Garda Siochana is simple, if you are caught carrying a knife, you will be charged and brought to court. The public information campaign is directed at informing and educating young people about the danger of carrying knives and reducing the number of incidences of knife crime in Cork City. The ‘How Big Do You Feel?’ Campaign is ongoing at secondary level schools and sports clubs in the city. In addition, a ‘Voluntary Code of Practice’ has been developed for shops that sell knives/weapons in Cork who are co-operating with this initiative
