· Doubling of funding to €350,000 for the Community Alert Programme
· Incorporates new €100,000 rebate scheme covering the cost of
approximately 1.6 million text messages
· Tánaiste: Funding represents a “tangible expression” of the Programme
for Government commitment to support and prioritise community crime
prevention schemes
Speaking as she visited the National Ploughing Championships today,
Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald announced that the funding for the Community
Alert Programme has been doubled to €350,000 and now incorporates a new
€100,000 rebate scheme for local groups registered under the Garda Text
Alert Scheme.
The Tánaiste commented: “I am very pleased to be able to provide funding
that will go directly to local groups. It is important that we recognise
and support the many people across the country that have signed up and paid
up as members of Text Alert Groups, which are a wonderful example of people
working with their local Gardai to protect and support their community.”
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to support and
prioritise community crime prevention schemes, including Text Alert, and
the Tánaiste said that the new funding is “a tangible expression of the
Government’s commitment to supporting a partnership approach to crime
prevention between local communities and An Garda Síochána”.
“For the first time, we are in a position to provide some of this funding
directly to local communities. I intend to review the operation of the new
scheme early in 2017, together with the Garda Commissioner, with a view to
supporting the operation of the Text Alert initiative into the future.
The Tánaiste also referred to the concentrated Garda drive against
organised burglary gangs who had targeted some rural communities –
“The Gardai have made huge progress since the launch of Operation Thor
last year and we have seen a reduction of one third in burglaries
nationwide.
“We now have specific legislation to deal with repeat burglary offenders
and particularly the organised gangs who have targeted many rural
communities.
“The Government remains fully committed to providing An Garda Síochána with
the means to continue to face down criminals and protect communities.”
Note for Editors
Funding from the Department of Justice & Equality for Community Alert will
increase from €152,000 in 2015 to €350,000 this year.
Local Text Alert groups incur costs from service providers for the
distribution of text message to group members, as well as some insurance
costs. The new rebate scheme provides a flat-rate €100 payment and this
will, on average, amount to about 25% of costs incurred by local groups for
distributing text messages. The €100,000 being made available by the
Tánaiste will cover the cost of approximately 1.6 million text messages for
the distribution of important crime prevention and community safety advice
from An Garda Síochána.
Text Alert groups can apply to Muintir na Tire for the rebate as soon as
possible and at the latest by the end of October 2016. Applications can be
made by completing a simple form which is available at
http://muintir.ie/Text-Alert-Rebates/ or on request from
rebates@muintir.ie or by calling Muintir na Tire on 062 – 51163.
The Garda Text Alert scheme is an important initiative which allows Gardai
to provide important crime prevention messages to local communities. Since
it was launched in September 2013 it has developed as an important crime
prevention mechanism with over 960 local groups involving 164,000
subscribers and with an estimated 3 million text messages sent last year
under the scheme. Every Garda Division, rural and urban, now offers the
text alert service and An Garda Síochána has published guidelines to assist
in the establishment and operation of local groups.
Muintir na Tire administer the Community Alert Programme in partnership
with An Garda Síochána and there are over 1,400 Community Alert Group
nationwide. The Department of Justice and Equality provides funding for the
national and regional administration of the programme. The majority of Text
Alert Groups were established through the Community Alert network.