Community groups lauded in Kilkenny for their trojan work in helping to tackle crime

Community groups from across the city and county were publicly acknowledged at a public awards ceremony in Cilin Hill on Thursday evening.
Inspector Liam Connolly, who has divisional responsibility for Neighbourhood Watch and Community Text Alert welcomed the representatives from the community groups, politicians and his garda colleagues and members of Kilkenny Fire Service and the Ambulance Service.
Chief Superintendent Dominic Hayes said that it ‘was vital to acknowledge the contribution that each and every group has made to their county' and added that ‘policing is a multi-agency issue that we tackle together’.
Minister of State, John Phelan spoke at the inaugural event and praised the 15,000 people that have signed up to the schemes across Kilkenny and Carlow.
“We all have a role in policing,” he said and praised ‘the voluntary service which is run across the parishes and communities of the counties.”
Crime Prevention Officer, Sergeant Peter McConnon said that it was no coincidence that crime figures have dropped dramatically since the text alert scheme was introduced in 2013.
An innovative map of the division was also revealed at the ceremony which showed all the townslands which currently have a community group set up to combat and prevent crime.
Representatives from all the groups were invited on stage and presented with a certificate to thank them for their trojan work in making their community a safer place.